By Muslim pilgrims worldwide have converged on the vast tent camp in the desert near Mecca, officially opening the annual Hajj pilgrimage in sweltering temperatures. Before their journey, the faithful circled the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site.
The number of pilgrims has already surpassed 1.5 million, with more joining from within Saudi Arabia. Authorities expect the total to exceed 2 million this year.
However, the backdrop of this year’s Hajj is the raging war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian militants, which has brought the Middle East to the brink of a regional conflict between Israel and its allies on one side and Iran-backed militant groups on the other.
Due to the closure of the Rafah crossing in May, when Israel extended its ground offensive to the southern city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, Palestinians in Gaza were unable to travel to Mecca for the pilgrimage. Palestinian authorities reported that 4,200 pilgrims from the occupied West Bank did manage to arrive in Mecca, while Saudi authorities said an additional 1,000 family members of Palestinians killed or wounded in the war were invited by King Salman to perform Hajj.
Amna Abu Mutlaq, a 75-year-old Palestinian woman from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, expressed her frustration at being deprived of the opportunity to perform Hajj due to the closed crossing and ongoing destruction.
This year’s Hajj also saw Syrian pilgrims traveling directly from Damascus to Mecca for the first time in over a decade, a result of the ongoing thaw in relations between Saudi Arabia and conflict-stricken Syria.
The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is a moving spiritual experience that unites the world’s more than 2 billion Muslims. It is also an opportunity to pray for peace in many conflict-torn Arab and Muslim countries, such as Yemen and Sudan.
Male pilgrims wear the ihram, two unstitched sheets of white cloth, while women dress in conservative, loose-fitting clothing with headscarves. Since arriving in Mecca, they have been making the ritual circuit around the Kaaba.
Saudi authorities have implemented security restrictions in and around Mecca, with checkpoints on roads leading to the city to prevent those without Hajj permits from reaching the holy sites. Many pilgrims whose documentation was incomplete paid fines to gain access to Mecca.
The Hajj rituals are largely held outdoors, with temperatures potentially reaching 48 Celsius (118 Fahrenheit). Charities have distributed cold water and cooling stations to help pilgrims cope with the extreme heat.
After the daylong vigil on Mount Arafat on Saturday, pilgrims will travel to Muzdalifa to collect pebbles for the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil in Mina. The pilgrimage concludes with the festive Eid al-Adha holiday and a final circumambulation of the Kaaba, known as the Farewell Tawaf.
In recent years, the Hajj has returned to its monumental scale following three years of heavy restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2023, more than 1.8 million pilgrims participated, approaching the pre-pandemic level of over 2.4 million in 2019.
Credit: AP
