Muslim pilgrims from around the world flock to Mecca as Hajj begins
Muslim pilgrims from around the world were arriving late Thursday at Mount Arafat in western Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the spiritual peak of their lives. (Photo: AP/AFP)- Supplementing the 85,000 security and civil defence officers who are reportedly deployed for Hajj are thousands of health workers. The medical staff are striving to protect pilgrims from two deadly viruses, Ebola and the MERS coronavirus. A pillar
- Eighteen aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters will patrol and be on standby for emergencies including "terrorist attacks", Arab News reported.
- Security has not noticeably increased around the holy sites, but an AFP reporter observed three checkpoints between Jeddah and Mecca, where security officers verify that visitors hold Hajj permits. Officials say they have intensified efforts to stop
- The issue came up for discussion during a recent meeting. (Photo: AP)
- A pilgrim said,"Prophet Mohammed has said that Friday is the best day the sun rises on." The Arab News reported that a recent French convert to Islam had driven 7,000 kilometres (4,340 miles) from North Africa to take part in the Hajj.
- Women also generally wear white, exposing only their faces and hands. Many pilgrims set up their own colourful tents as small children ran about, the boys in Aehram and girls wearing veils, while others simply placed rugs among the shrubs and slept.
- Elderly pilgrims sat on wheelchairs, little ones in prams, and others leaned on sticks as they made their way towards their camps. Men arrived wearing a seamless two-piece white garment, Aehram, symbolising a state of purity and emphasising their
- Mount Arafat is where Prophet Mohammed gave his final sermon, Hajjat-ul-wida after leading his followers on the Hajj. Hundreds of pilgrims arriving at Arafat carried suitcases and other luggage among thousands of white tents which stood ready on a
- Late Thursday some had already reached Mount Arafat. Among them was Iman Izzidine, 42, who has fled Syria's civil war. "I thank God for this indescribable feeling" of being in the Muslim holy land, said the soft-spoken woman dressed in black from
- They are following the tradition of Prophet Abraham, and his wife Hajra alongside pilgrims from Saudi Arabia. The faithful streamed out of the holy city of Mecca heading for the nearby Mina valley, where most would wait until the early hours of
- Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: AP)
Muslim pilgrims from around the world were arriving late Thursday at Mount Arafat in western Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the spiritual peak of their lives. (Photo: AP/AFP)
Muslim pilgrims from around the world flock to Mecca as Hajj begins
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