- विज्ञापन -
Riyadh: Muslims from across the globe embarked on the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Friday, with authorities anticipating a gathering of 2 million people despite scorching temperatures.
Following the ritual of circling the Kaaba, a sacred cube-shaped structure within the Grand Mosque in Mecca, pilgrims proceed to the adjacent Mina Valley, where they will reside overnight in a vast tent community.
On the second day, they head to Mount Arafat, around 20 kilometres east of Mecca, where they stay until sunset in what is considered the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage.
As the temperature in and around Mecca is expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius, authorities urged pilgrims to carry umbrellas to protect themselves during the rituals.
The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is a mandatory duty for all Muslims to make once in a lifetime – if they are physically capable of undertaking the journey to the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed and have the financial resources.
Men wear seamless white clothes, and women wear loose garments as they perform the same rituals in a demonstration of religious unity, equality and pursuit of spiritual renewal.
The pilgrimage takes place from the eighth to the 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
