The annual pilgrimage began on Sunday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia with the tawaf, the circling of the Kaaba, in an event that is expected to break attendance records.
The pilgrimage of Hajj has begun in Saudi Arabia as crowds of Muslims donning white robes circle the Kaaba, the cubed structure at the epicentre of Islam’s holiest site, to offer prayers to Allah.
The annual pilgrimage began on Sunday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia with the tawaf, the circling of the Kaaba, in an event that is expected to break attendance records.
The number of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year is expected to break records at more than 2.5 million, according to Al Jazeera.
“This year, we will witness the largest Hajj pilgrimage in history,” said an official at the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
The unprecedented number of pilgrims – more than 2.5 million Muslims – expected to take part follows the full relaxation of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in place since 2020.
In 2020, only 10,000 people were allowed to participate while 59,000 participated in 2021. In 2022, there was a cap of one million people.
“I am living the most beautiful days of my life,” Abdelazim, a 65-year-old Egyptian who saved for 20 years to pay the $6000 cost he needed to attend, told the AFP news agency at the site.
On Sunday evening, the pilgrims will begin making their way to Mina, about 8km (5 miles) from Mecca’s al-Masjid al-Haram, or the Grand Mosque, before they gather at Mount Arafat, where Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
This year’s Hajj is a challenge, taking place in the nearly 45-degree-Celsius heat, the date for the pilgrimage dependent on the lunar calendar.
Saudi authorities said more than 32,000 health workers and thousands of ambulances are on standby to treat cases of heatstroke, dehydration and exhaustion.
The Islamic ritual is obligatory for every able-bodied Muslim adult who has the financial means to take part, forming one of the five pillars of the religion.
This year, Hajj is held between June 26 and July 1, with the celebration of Eid al-Adha taking place on June 28.