Record-breaking Hajj draws pilgrims for 'stoning of the devil' ritual
Despite facing temperatures reaching 48 degrees Celsius, over 1.8 million pilgrims, primarily from abroad, joined the unrestricted Hajj for the first time since pre-Covid times.
Muslim pilgrims participate in the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamarat Bridge in Mina, near Mecca, marking the Hajj's final major ceremony / Photo: AFP Archive.
Massive crowds of robed Muslims have gathered for the "stoning of the devil" ritual in Saudi Arabia as the biggest Hajj pilgrimage since the pandemic draws to a close.
From dawn, hundreds of thousands of worshippers began pelting pebbles at three concrete monoliths representing Satan.
The pilgrims flocked to Mina, near Mecca, a day after enduring temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) as they prayed for hours on Mount Arafat.
More than 1.8 million pilgrims, most of them from abroad, joined the first Hajj with unrestricted numbers since pre-Covid in 2019, when 2.5 million took part.
The attendance figure, announced by Saudi officials on Tuesday, falls well short of their predictions of beating the 2019 record.
The Hajj is a source of prestige and a major revenue earner for Saudi Arabia, which is trying to pivot its oil-reliant economy in new directions, including tourism.
The devil-stoning marks the start of the three-day Eid al-Adha holiday, celebrated by Muslims by buying and sacrificing livestock to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son.
Afterwards, the pilgrims return to Mecca to perform a farewell "tawaf" - walking seven times around the Kaaba, which is the focal point of Islam.
Since pre-Covid 2019, 2.5 million pilgrims participated in the first unrestricted hajj / Photo: Reuters.
Extreme heats
In recent years the Hajj has coincided with the Saudi summer, compounded by global warming that has made the desert climate even hotter.
Tuesday's peak of 48 degrees Celsius made it the hottest day at this year's Hajj. Experts have warned that temperatures of 50 degrees could become an annual occurrence in Saudi Arabia by the end of the century.
To protect themselves from the heat, many pilgrims walk with umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun, while others carry their folded prayer blankets above their heads.
More than 32,000 health workers are on hand to treat anyone struck by heatstroke or other ailments, authorities say, while bottles of water are being distributed free of charge.
The Hajj started on Sunday at Mecca's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, before an overnight stay in tents and then the prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
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