Hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims descended on the holy Iraqi city of Karbala for a religious festival.

Pilgrims were marking the birthday of the 9th century Imam Mahdi, one of the main Imams of Shia Islam.

The event is meant to be one of celebration.

But such festivals have been targeted by Sunni insurgents in the past. The threat of an attack loomed large.

Security was tight with thousands of Iraqi police and soldiers deployed across the city.

Vehicles were banned from the city centre as soldiers monitored who came in and out.

The festival attracts people from across the world. Many Iraqis had made the journey to Karbala by foot.

As pilgrims left the city on Saturday evening, police said there had been no security breaches during the festivities.

But a number of pilgrims were killed in suspected insurgent attacks as they made their way to Karbala earlier in the week.