Khamenei’s body will travel to Najaf, Iraq, on Wednesday. After a procession at the shrine of Imam Ali, the first imam of Shiite Islam, ceremonies will continue in Karbala before the body returns to Iran.

Iranian officials say the developments in Iraq are at the request of Iraqi groups, and some analysts see them as representative of Khamenei’s influence across the Shiite Muslim world and of Iran’s religious and political ties across the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Baghdad to coordinate preparations and said the funeral had “symbolic importance.”

On Thursday, Khamenei will be buried in his hometown of Mashhad at the Shrine of Imam Reza, the mausoleum of Shiite Islam’s eighth imam and Iran’s most important pilgrimage site, attracting millions of visitors each year.

Representatives from several countries, including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are expected to attend the ceremonies.

Ceremonies will continue across the country for 40 days, with commemorative events planned until the first anniversary of Khamenei’s burial.