Riyadh: One million pilgrims from around the world amassed in the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrimage, which is considered one of the five pillars of Islam.
The pilgrims began to flock on Thursday, the eighth of the month of Zul Hijjah 1443 AH, to Mina, to spend the day of Tarwiyah, before heading on Friday, to stand at the top of Arafat, which represents the greatest pillar of the pilgrimage, which is followed by Eid Al Adha.
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The Haj is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims who are physically and financially able to make the journey, which takes believers along the path traveled by the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago. Pilgrims spend five days performing a set of rituals aimed at bringing them closer to God.
For this year’s Haj, one million worshipers participate after it was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years— 2021 and 2022. In 2019, about 2.5 million pilgrims participated.
