Huge crowds of Muslim pilgrims began praying on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia early Friday, the culmination of the largest Hajj pilgrimage since the pandemic, which forced drastic cuts in numbers for two straight years.
The believers, limited to one million, including 850,000 from abroad selected by lottery, spent the night in camps in the Valley of Mina, seven kilometers (four miles) from the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the holiest site of the Mecca Islam.
In the early hours of Friday morning, they met for the most important Hajj ritual on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have delivered his last sermon.
You will remain on site throughout the day, praying and reciting the Koran, the holy book of Muslims.
After sunset, they drive to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they will sleep under the stars before performing the symbolic “Stoning of the Devil” ceremony on Saturday.
This year’s hajj comes amid a resurgence of Covid-19 in the region, with some Gulf states tightening restrictions to keep outbreaks at bay.
All participants were required to provide proof of full vaccination and negative PCR tests. When they arrived in Mina on Thursday, they were handed small bags containing masks and disinfectant.
Usually one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world, the Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be performed by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lifetime.
In 2019, as in previous years, around 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world took part.
But the coronavirus outbreak has since forced Saudi authorities to drastically scale back the hajj. In 2021, only 60,000 fully vaccinated UK citizens and residents took part, down from a few thousand in 2020.
– sun and tears –
The pilgrimage can be physically demanding even in ideal conditions, but believers faced an additional challenge this year: scorching sun and temperatures soaring to 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit).
Islam forbids men from wearing hats once the rites begin, and many have been seen protecting themselves with umbrellas, prayer mats and in one case even a small bucket of water.
Women, on the other hand, are required to cover their heads with scarves.
On Friday morning on the mountain, many worshipers cried while praying and carried umbrellas in preparation for high temperatures later in the day.
– Extreme conditions –
“We can take (the heat). We are here for the Hajj. The more we tolerate, the more our pilgrimage will be accepted,” Laila, a 64-year-old Iraqi pilgrim who gave only her first name, told AFP in Mecca before reaching the mountain.
Saudi officials have touted their preparations for the extreme conditions, highlighting the hundreds of hospital beds for heatstroke patients and the “large number of mist fans” they have provided.
A truck was also provided to distribute umbrellas, bottled water and small fans.
Still, the National Center for Meteorology, which has set up an office in Mina, is sending warnings to pilgrims on their mobile phones, urging them to avoid outdoor rituals at certain times of the day, particularly around midday.
On Saturday, Muslim pilgrims take part in the “stoning,” the final major ritual of this year’s Hajj.
This ritual has led to deadly mass panics in recent years, as hundreds of thousands of participants have gathered in a confined space.
After the stoning ritual, pilgrims return to the Grand Mosque in Mecca for a final “tawaf,” or circumambulation of the Kaaba, the cubic structure draped in gold-embroidered black cloth that is the focal point of Islam.
Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, marks the end of the Hajj.
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