NEARLY 2 MILLION MUSLIM PILGRIMS BEGIN ANNUAL HAJJ PILGRIMAGE IN SAUDI ARABIA

Wed 04 June 2025:

Nearly two million Muslim pilgrims began the soul-searching journey of the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

With temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaaba — the black cube at the heart of Mecca’s Grand Mosque which is Islam’s holiest site.

The pilgrims circled the Kaaba in the heart of the holy city of Mecca and began moving to Mina, a vast tent city on the way to Mecca, marking the first step of the Hajj rituals.

The pilgrims will spend the night in Mina in prayers and supplication, in preparation for ascending Mount Arafat, the peak of the Hajj, on Thursday.

The Saudi channel Al-Ekhbariya said the pilgrims will reach Mina via buses and trains “under organized transportation plans” and “in a clear commitment.”

According to official figures released by Saudi authorities, more than 1.47 million Muslims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage. The total number is expected to increase with local pilgrims to reach two million.

Last year, over 1.8 million Muslim pilgrims from 200 countries around the world performed the ritual.

The Hajj pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of the Islamic faith – a ritual that must be performed by all Muslims, if financially viable, at least once in their lives.

The ritual includes several rituals meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith and to commemorate the trials of the Prophet Abraham and his family.

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Artificial intelligence

Following last year’s lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilized more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection.

Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square meters (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP last week.

Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds.

Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses.

This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts.

Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery.

But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt Hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught.

Large crowds at Hajj have proved hazardous in the past, most notably in 2015 when a stampede during the “stoning the devil” ritual in Mina killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest Hajj disaster.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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