Muslims from all over the world have flocked to the holy city of Mecca in anticipation of the hajj, which begins next week and is expected to resume on its grand scale following three years of severe restrictions brought on by the coronavirus outbreak.
According to Saudi officials, more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have entered the nation so far, almost all of them flying in.
When the trip officially starts on Monday, thousands more are anticipated to join them, as well as hundreds of thousands of Saudis and other people who live in Saudi Arabia.
According to Saudi officials, pre-pandemic pilgrimage levels are what they anticipate for numbers. More than 2.4 million Muslims traveled on the pilgrimage in 2019.
To participate in the weekly group prayers, pilgrims flocked to the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Friday.
All Muslims are obligated to perform the hajj at least once in their lives, provided they have the financial means to do so. It is one of the five pillars of Islam.
It is one of the biggest religious gatherings in the entire world.
The pilgrimage this year will be the first without the limitations put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since foreign pilgrims were not allowed to perform the hajj, only about 10,000 Saudi Arabian citizens conducted it in 2020 and about 60,000 in 2021.
Around 900,000 people made the journey last year due to Saudi Arabia’s restrictions on foreign pilgrims.