the upper sections of the minarets. It was completed in 1994. Converting the Leader of the 1920 Revolution graveyard into the shrines ceremonial hall in 1996. The Bayn al-Haramayn regeneration programme–after it was desecrated during the 1991 uprising–removing all concrete damns, laying a concrete floor, and planting palm trees across the area. The project was completed in 1997. Creating a golden door inside the shrine, made exclusively by Iraqi hands, for the first time in the history of the shrine. The door was completed on January 4, 1999. Expanding the shrine of the martyrs of Karbala, and creating a second window for it in the southern rawaq (hallway). This project was done without the knowledge of the authorities, since they were against the idea, however Nasrallah was adamant on the expansion for a number of reasons, so he directed the Najafi gilder, Majid Abu al-Nawair and the Karbalaei architect Hassan al-Memar, and together they worked on the expansion and completed it on August 8, 2000. The initiation of the University of Karbala project, and Nasrallah using his influence, along with a number of other noblemen of Karbala, to gather funds to establish the university in 2002. Arbaeen Pilgrimage 1996 In addition to the damage the city took after the uprising, the city was struck by a strong wave of depression. Nasrallah met numerously with the newly assigned mayor, Saber al-Douri, to discuss opening way for pilgrims to visit the Husayn shrine on Arbaeen, using the city's depleted situation as an excuse. Nasrallah's encounters brought results, and al-Douri managed to get permission from higher authority, to allow a large pilgrimage take place in the city. On July 6, 1996, which coincided with the 20th of Safar that year, Karbala witnessed a large gathering of approximately seven million pilgrims. This ease lasted for a while under al-Douri, however by 2000, restrictions for pilgrims returned, and were harsher. U.S. Invasion He served as custodian up until the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After Karbala was captured by U.S forces on April 5, 2003, he fled to Pakistan, then to Iran where he settled for a while, to avoid clashes with his countrymen who were frustrated at the time with the Baath and anyone affiliated with them. Return to Iraq He returned to Iraq in 2011, but was met with mixed sentiments by the people of his city, as well as his family. This was