Saudi Arabia: Pilgrims gather for Hajj amid sweltering heat
June 14, 2024
More than a million Muslims from around the world have amassed around the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage.
Some worshippers arrive way ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, at the start of JuneImage: Abdel Ghani Bashir/AFP/Getty Images
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More than 1.5 million people from across the globe gathered amid intense heat in and around the Saudi city of Mecca on Friday for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The event takes place against the backdrop of war in Gaza, which has sparked fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East.
What's notable about this year's Hajj?
People living in the coastal Gaza Strip were unable to visit Mecca for the Hajj this year because of the closure of the Rafah crossing to Egypt in May.
That happened in May when Israel extended its ground offensive to Gaza's southernmost city.
Palestinian authorities said some 4,200 pilgrims from the occupied West Bank had arrived in Mecca for the event.
Meanwhile, Saudi authorities said 1,000 more family members of Palestinians killed or wounded in the war in Gaza also arrived to take part in the Hajj at the invitation of Saudi Arabia's King Salman. Those guests were understood to have been outside Gaza when the crossing was closed.
The gathering this year falls during the hot Saudi summer. Officials have forecast average highs of 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit). Last year, large numbers of heat-related illnesses were reported.
This year's Hajj also saw Syrian pilgrims arrive in Mecca with direct flights from Damascus for the first time in over a decade.
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.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Y. Arhab
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.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
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.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Hamra
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Flights resumed after a thaw in relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria, with Riyadh appointing its first ambassador to Syria since it severed ties in 2012 under the shadow of the Syrian Civil War.
