Hundreds of Shia pilgrims along with officials of the Astan (custodianship) of the holy shrine and those in charge of developing the courtyard were present at the ceremony held on the occasion of Eid al-Ghadir, the website of the Astan reported.
The second phase added 7000 square meters to the area of the Alavi shrine, the custodian of the shrine said in an address to the ceremony.
Another phase will be inaugurated in the lunar Hijri month of Muharram (October), he said, noting that it, too, will add another 7000 square meters to the area of the mausoleum.