In pictures: Kadhimiya pilgrimage

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have converged in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on one of Shia Islam's holiest shrines.

Nearly 2,000 Iraqi police and soldiers guarded the Kadhimiya mosque in the city's north, amid fears of an insurgent attack.

Thousands walked through the Kadhimiya district, with no repeat of the 2005 stampede when nearly 1,000 people died.

The pilgrims made their way on foot to the famous golden-domed shrine of Moussa al-Kadhim, where the 8th Century imam is said to be buried.

Many pilgrims flogged themselves with iron chains in mourning to commemorate the death in 799 of the seventh of the 12 imams. A symbolic green coffin was carried by others.

The ceremony was outlawed under Saddam Hussein, and has attracted large crowds since being revived.

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