Muslim pilgrims on Friday began departing Mecca after completing this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, held under scorching temperatures and against the backdrop of escalating tensions across the Middle East.
More than 1.7 million worshippers from 165 countries gathered in Saudi Arabia for one of the world’s largest annual religious events, despite the ongoing regional conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Since the war broke out in February, Iran has launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks targeting energy and infrastructure facilities across the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia.
More than 30,000 Iranian pilgrims participated in this year’s Hajj, although the number was significantly lower than the 86,000 initially expected. Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, attributed the reduction to the prevailing “wartime situation.”
For many pilgrims, completing the spiritual exercise marked the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.
“I can’t believe I completed the hajj,” said Ahmed Mamdouh, a 37-year-old Egyptian who performed the pilgrimage for the first time.
Fighting back tears, he added, “I am very happy that I completed the rituals safely. Hajj is truly exhausting, especially in such hot weather.”
An Algerian pilgrim identified as Al-Zaoui also expressed joy after performing the pilgrimage with his wife.
“It was our dream to perform the Hajj together. Now that dream has come true after 50 years of marriage,” the 74-year-old said.
Pilgrims on Friday completed the final phase of the symbolic stoning ritual at Mina, southeast of Mecca, where worshippers throw pebbles at large concrete pillars symbolising the devil.
They later proceeded to the Grand Mosque in Mecca for the farewell “tawaf,” which involves walking seven times around the Kaaba before concluding the pilgrimage.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is compulsory for Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey at least once in their lifetime.
The pilgrimage this year took place under severe heat conditions, with most of the rituals performed outdoors over several days.
Following the deaths of more than 1,300 pilgrims during the 2024 Hajj season when temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius, Saudi authorities introduced additional heat-mitigation measures, including expanded shaded areas and the deployment of thousands of extra medical personnel.
The Saudi Red Crescent disclosed on Thursday that emergency teams had attended to “more than 83,000 people since the beginning of the hajj season.”