Makkah, Saudi Arabia: More than a million Muslims are gathering in Makkah for the Haj pilgrimage overshadowed by the Middle East war, as animosity smoulders across the region despite a fragile ceasefire.
This year’s rites, drawing Muslim worshippers from across the world, including Iran, follow waves of Iranian attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours.
Saudi officials are keen to keep conflict far from the minds of visitors, who have travelled long distances for one of the world’s biggest annual pilgrimages.
But for Fatima, a 36-year-old German housewife travelling with her family, “there was no second thought” about coming to Makkah, Islam’s holiest city.
“We know we are at the safest place in the world,” she told AFP.
The Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means.
As of this week, more than 1.2 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the multi-day pilgrimage starting Monday, officials said.
Because of the “wartime situation”, only about 30,000 Iranian pilgrims out of an expected 86,700 had travelled to Saudi Arabia for Haj, according to the IRNA state news agency.
Experts, however, said authorities would do their utmost to prevent any unrest from rattling this year’s pilgrimage.
“Saudi Arabia and Iran have kept their political engagement open” despite the war, said Umer Karim, an expert on Saudi foreign policy.
The arduous, outdoor pilgrimage will be held against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions but also under punishing sun, with temperatures forecast to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for much of the week. After more than 1,300 people died in 2024, when temperatures soared above 50 degrees Celsius, Saudi authorities introduced a range of heat-mitigation measures including more shaded areas and thousands of extra health workers.
More than 50,000 healthcare staff and 3,000 ambulances are on hand to help pilgrims in need, the Saudi health ministry said.
Despite the heat and war, pilgrims were overcome with emotion as they kickstarted the Haj pilgrimage in Makkah.
“Haj has been the dream of a lifetime for me,” Ahmed Abo Seta, 47, told AFP. “And it is finally coming true.”
