Two million people start pilgrimage in S Arabia

MORE THAN 2 million Muslims from around the world began the Hajj pilgrimage at Islam’s holiest sites yesterday, a religious duty and an epic multistage journey.

This year sees pilgrims from Shiite Iran return to Mecca in Saudi Arabia after a hiatus following a diplomatic spat between the regional rivals and a deadly stampede in 2015.

It also comes with the Gulf mired in a major political crisis that has seen thousands of faithful who would usually make the journey from neighbouring Qatar stay away.

On the esplanade of Mecca’s Grand Mosque, the excitement was palpable as crowds from all four corners of the world gathered for a pilgrimage that all able Muslims are required to perform at least once in their lives.

There, hundreds of thousands will gather before setting off today to climb Mount Arafat, the pinnacle of the Hajj. First, however, they must perform a ritual walk known as the tawaf seven times around the Kaaba, a black masonry cube wrapped in a heavy silk cloth embroidered in gold with Quranic verses in Mecca’s Grand Mosque. The shrine is the point towards which Muslims around the world pray.

Saudi authorities have mobilised vast resources including more than 100,000 security personnel to avoid a repeat of the stampede in 2015 in which nearly 2,300 people were killed. Iran alone reported 464 deaths – the highest toll among foreigners.

On the eve of the first rites of the pilgrimage, the walkways thronged with people and the smell of musk wafted through the air. Sitting in the shade, the faithful waited patiently for the next call to prayer.