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Saudi welcomes 1 million for biggest haj pilgrimage since pandemic
Banners welcoming the faithful, including the first international visitors since 2019, festooned squares and alleys, while armed security forces patrolled the ancient city, birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad.
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Muslim worshippers gather before the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on July 2, 2022. The kingdom prepares to welcome 850,000 Muslims from abroad for the annual hajj after two years during which pilgrims not already in Saudi Arabia were barred because of Covid pandemic restrictions. (AFP/AFP)
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hite-robed worshippers from across the world have packed the streets of Mecca as Islam's holiest city prepares to host the biggest haj pilgrimage since the coronavirus pandemic.
Banners welcoming the faithful, including the first international visitors since 2019, festooned squares and alleys, while armed security forces patrolled the ancient city, birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad.
"This is pure joy," Sudanese pilgrim Abdel Qader Kheder told AFP in Mecca, ahead of the event expected to start on Wednesday. "I almost can't believe I am here. I am enjoying every moment."
One million people, including 850,000 from abroad, are allowed at this year's haj -- a key pillar of Islam that all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform at least once -- after two years of drastically curtailed numbers due to the pandemic.
At least 650,000 overseas pilgrims have arrived so far in Saudi Arabia, the authorities said Sunday.
In 2019, about 2.5 million people took part in the rituals, which include circling the Kaaba, the imposing black cube at Mecca's Grand Mosque, gathering at Mount Arafat and "stoning the devil" in Mina.
The following year, foreigners were barred and worshippers were restricted to just 10,000, rising to 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents in 2021, to stop the haj turning into a global super-spreader.
