Only a small number of faithful are taking part in this year's hajj, usually one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world. Authorities have dramatically downsized the pilgrimage to prevent fresh virus outbreaks.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Saudi Ministry of Media
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Muslims in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday began the annual hajj, a five-day pilgrimage taking place on a much smaller scale this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj is a requirement able-bodied Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetime. Usually, more than 2 million people travel from around the world to take part, with huge crowds crammed into tiny religious sites. But this year only up to 10,000 people already residing in Saudi Arabia were allowed to attend.
"There are no security-related concerns in this pilgrimage, but (downsizing) is to protect pilgrims from the danger of the pandemic," Saudi Director of Public Security Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi said.
To limit the risk of contagion, pilgrims were asked to wear masks and observe social distancing during the series of rites carried out over five days in the holy city of Mecca and its surrounds in western Saudi Arabia.
State television showed pilgrims walking into Mecca's Grand Mosque on Wednesday divided into groups to begin the ritual with a walk around the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure draped in gold cloth towards which Muslims around the world pray.
A hajj ministry program document said pilgrims were provided with a kit that included sterilized pebbles for a stoning ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug, and the ihram worn by pilgrims.
Saudi Arabia has put in place a number of measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreadingImage: AFP/Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra
Thermal scanners were also set up across the holy sites to monitor people's temperatures.
This year marks the first time in nearly a century of Saudi rule over Mecca that people from outside the kingdom won't be taking part. Around 70% of the pilgrims are foreigners living in Saudi Arabia who were chosen in an online selection process, while the rest are Saudi citizens, authorities said.
Those selected for the hajj had to test negative for the coronavirus and self-isolate in Mecca beforehand, and they'll have to quarantine after the pilgrimage as well.
The hajj usually brings in billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia annually.
Analysts have said a scaled-back pilgrimage will worsen the kingdom's economic slump, partly driven by a collapse in global demand for oil as a result of national lockdowns. Businesses that rely on the huge crowds of faithful in Mecca are also expected to suffer.
Saudi Arabia has one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the Middle East with almost 270,000 infections.
What is the Hajj?
One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca every Muslim is required to do at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically able. Here are the key things you need to know.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Hamra
Millions of Muslim pilgrims
The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the most holy city for Muslims. All Muslims are expected to perform this religious duty at least once in their lifetime, if they are physically and financially able. It's one of the five pillars of Islam, or core ritual practices, and considered to be the largest gathering of people in the world, with millions attending every year.
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Following the prophet
As many as 3 million pilgrims perform a series of rituals over the course of five or six days. First, they stop to pray at the Grand Mosque, home to a cubic building draped in black silk called the Kaaba, Islam's most important shrine.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Gharabli
Stoning the devil
Pilgrims travel to the village of Mina to again pray and read from the Quran. Next they spend a day at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad gave his final sermon, to ask for forgiveness. On their return journey to Mecca, the pilgrims stop on a plain called Muzdalifah to collect stones, which they will throw at three pillars in Mina to symbolically stone the devil.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/O. Akkanat
Circling Kaaba
Finally, upon returning to Mecca, the pilgrims will circle the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque seven times, bringing their Hajj to a close. They then shave their heads and perform an animal sacrifice before celebrating the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Hamra
Tragedy during Hajj
Since 1987, more than 5,800 people have died in building collapses, stampedes, trampling and fires. In 2015, a stampede resulted in around 2,400 deaths, making it the worst catastrophe in the history of the Hajj. The pilgrimage is also a hotbed of infectious disease, as pilgrims from every corner of the planet often trek around in the heat barefoot and share tight sleeping quarters.
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Bringing the new to the old
While the Hajj is the oldest and most sacred ritual of Islam, it has also been brought into the 21st century. The Saudi government is using the latest in crowd-control techniques to prevent trampling and architectural collapses. On YouTube, they telecast live Hajj feeds and now, Google, iTunes and other sites have come out with apps to help pilgrims better understand and perform the Hajj rituals.
