Humans inherently place great importance on the development and management of the cities in which they live, work, and learn. This allows them to express their existence, authority, and personality. Cities are hubs for various human and social activities. The close relationship between religion and cities is also noteworthy. Religion expresses the consequences of social life through behaviours and religious customs, which are conducted and built-in religion-centric cities. Socio-cultural events are sometimes analyzed as tools to enhance specific places, benefiting residents or potential visitors. The Arbaeen event, as a religious factor and urban trend, directly impacts the region's sustainability. The main goal of this article is to explore and understand the mechanisms for achieving socio-cultural sustainability through relevant strategies that help manage urban areas. This approach is methodologically mixed and descriptive-analytical. Data were collected based on indicators from the scientific literature, using questionnaires, interviews, and observations along the Najaf-Karbala route. Two main factors, the social and the religious, were identified as elements of socio-cultural sustainability in managing the Arbaeen event. This research showed that community participation (guest and host) in the Arbaeen event is managed through religious factor mechanisms (beliefs) and its material and spiritual impact on the region.
