MAKKAH: Thousands of Muslim pilgrims began departing the holy city of Makkah on Friday after completing the annual Hajj pilgrimage amid scorching temperatures and growing tensions across the Middle East.
More than 1.7 million pilgrims from 165 countries participated in one of the world’s largest religious gatherings this year, taking place against the backdrop of ongoing conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Since the outbreak of war in February, Iran has launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks targeting infrastructure and energy facilities across the Gulf region, including sites in Saudi Arabia.
Despite the tensions, more than 30,000 Iranian pilgrims traveled to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, although that number was significantly lower than the 86,000 initially expected. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency attributed the decline to the “wartime situation.”
“I can’t believe I completed the Hajj,” said Ahmed Mamdouh, a 37-year-old Egyptian performing the pilgrimage for the first time.
“I am very happy that I completed the rituals safely,” he said while fighting back tears. “Hajj is truly exhausting, especially in such hot weather.”
Algerian pilgrim Al-Zaoui, 74, said fulfilling the pilgrimage alongside his wife was a lifelong dream.
“It was our dream to perform the Hajj together,” he said. “Now that dream has come true after 50 years of marriage.”
Pilgrims on Friday completed the final day of the symbolic stoning ritual in Mina, southeast of Makkah, where worshippers throw pebbles at concrete pillars representing the devil.
They later traveled to the Grand Mosque in Makkah to perform the farewell tawaf, circling the Holy Kaaba seven times in a concluding ritual of the pilgrimage.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is required once in a lifetime for Muslims who are physically and financially able to perform it.
The pilgrimage, which involves several outdoor rituals over multiple days, took place this year under intense heat conditions.
Following the deaths of more than 1,300 pilgrims during the 2024 Hajj, when temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), Saudi authorities implemented additional heat-mitigation measures, including expanded shaded areas and the deployment of thousands of extra medical personnel.
More read, Over 1.7 million pilgrims perform Hajj this year
The Saudi Red Crescent said Thursday it had provided emergency services to more than 83,000 people since the start of the Hajj season.
