On June 23, Muslims from all over flocked to Mecca to participate in the largest Hajj pilgrimage of Muslims.
This year's pilgrimage is expected to attract over 2 million pilgrims from 160 countries despite the scorching heat in Saudi Arabia.
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Muslims make pilgrimage to Mecca on June 22, 2023. |
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam (belief, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca) that believers are obliged to complete at least once in their lifetime if they are able. This year, the Hajj lasts four days, starting on the evening of June 25.
During the pilgrimage, pilgrims gather in the holy city of Mecca for several days to commemorate the Prophet Mohammed’s final pilgrimage and perform rituals. Before the ceremony, to show their purity, men wear simple white robes, regardless of wealth, social status or nationality. Women wear loose white dresses that reveal only their faces and hands.
Pilgrims are not allowed to argue, do not wear perfume, and must keep their nails and hair trimmed for the ceremony. When the ceremony begins, pilgrims walk seven times around the Kaaba, the 15m-high stone structure at the centre of Mecca’s Grand Mosque. They then walk seven times between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, moving to Mina, an area 5km away, before taking part in the main ritual on Mount Arafat.
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Muslims make pilgrimage to Mecca on June 22, 2023. |
The highlight of the pilgrimage is the gathering on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have delivered his final sermon. Pilgrims gather on the 70-meter-high mountain and its surrounding area for hours of prayer and recitation of the Koran until evening. At sunset, they head to Muzdalifah to collect stones and return to Mina to perform the ritual of stoning to ward off evil spirits. After the stoning, pilgrims shave or cut their hair and perform the Eid al-Adha sacrifice, marking the end of the Hajj.
Since the rituals are mostly performed outdoors, Saudi Arabia has mobilized more than 32,000 medical staff to be on standby in case of emergency, with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius. To facilitate travel during the four days of the pilgrimage, Saudi officials said about 24,000 buses will serve pilgrims, as well as 17 trains capable of transporting 72,000 people per hour.
This year’s Hajj is expected to set a record for the number of participants. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world participated in the event. However, last year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, only 926,000 people participated in the Hajj.
Pilgrimages to Mecca are one of Saudi Arabia's main sources of income. The year-round Hajj and Umrah rituals are estimated to bring in $12 billion a year for the country.
On June 21, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the organization is preparing for an increase in the spread of virus-related diseases such as dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya due to the El Nino weather phenomenon.
According to VNA
Muslims, Mecca, Hajj pilgrimage, Muslims
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