Hundreds of Thousands Gather in Mecca for Hajj Pilgrimage

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have flocked to the city of Mecca in western Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place this year amid regional tensions dominated by the ongoing war in Gaza. The pilgrims arrived in the holy city, waiting for the rituals to begin on Friday, under a scorching sun with an average temperature of around 44 degrees Celsius, according to official forecasts. In the Grand Mosque, the largest in the world, pilgrims dressed in white Ihram clothing began to circumambulate the Kaaba, which is the qibla for Muslims during their prayers. According to Saudi authorities, 1.2 million people arrived on Thursday, not counting those already inside the kingdom. In 2023, over 1.8 million people participated, with about 90 percent coming from outside the kingdom, mostly from Asian countries and the Arab world.