Up to one million people, including 850,000 from abroad, are visiting Saudi Arabia for the Hajj Pilgrimage, in what is the largest gathering of pilgrims since the start of the pandemic curbed the ability for Saudi Arabia to host.
Banners welcoming the faithful adorned squares and alleys, while armed security forces patrolled the ancient city, birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed, according to a report in AFP.
The Hajj is one of five pillars of Islam, which all able-bodied Muslims with the means are required to perform at least once.
The pandemic significantly curbed the Kingdom’s ability to host large groups of visiting pilgrims. Only 1,000 pilgrims were able to perform the Hajj in 2020, the year of the pandemic in which vaccines were not yet developed.
Last year, in 2021, the Hajj hosted nearly 60,000.
