More than two million Muslims begin this Sunday the pilgrimage to Mecca (‘hajj’), which is carried out annually in Saudi Arabia, the first that will welcome so many faithful since the start of the covid-19 pandemic.
In the great mosque of Mecca, faithful from 160 countries began earlier today the ritual of the ‘tawaf’, which are the turns that pilgrims make around the Kaaba, a large cubic structure wrapped in a black cloth embroidered with gold. Muslims all over the world must say their prayers obeying the direction in which the Kaaba is located.
A Saudi official said on Sunday that record attendance was expected.
“This year we are going to witness the largest pilgrimage in history (…). The number of pilgrims will exceed 2.5 million,” if all goes as planned, according to the Saudi official, who requested anonymity.
The ‘hajj’, considered one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once in the life of a practicing Muslim and with financial conditions.
It consists of a series of religious rites performed over several days in and around the holy city of Mecca.
Tonight, the pilgrims are expected to travel to Mina, a town about five kilometers from the grand mosque, where they will spend the night before the main rite on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his last sermon.
Mina, a city of white tents, is preparing today to receive the pilgrims, delivering food and sending security forces through the area.
The performance of the two main Muslim pilgrimages, the ‘hajj’ and the ‘umrah’ (a minor pilgrimage), confers prestige and legitimacy on the Saudi rulers.
Many tragedies, including deadly stampedes, have marked the history of hajj, but there have been no serious accidents since 2015.
High temperatures of nearly 45 degrees Celsius pose an increasing challenge, and authorities have set up several health centers and mobilized 32,000 paramedics.
Patrolling on foot, under white umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun, the police spray the pilgrims with water jets.
Inside the great mosque, thousands of rescue teams are ready to respond to emergencies.
Source: TSF
