A stream of tens of thousands of pilgrims left Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, in western Saudi Arabia on Friday after taking part in the great Muslim pilgrimage in blistering heat.
More than 1.8 million pilgrims this year performed the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
On Friday, two days after the last important ritual, tens of thousands of people took to the roads, on foot or by bus, to leave the sacred sites, an AFP correspondent reported.
Pilgrims took off their white robes after circling the Kaaba seven times, a black cubic structure at the heart of Mecca’s Grand Mosque, which Muslims around the world turn to pray.
“I am very happy to have completed the pilgrimage without any problem,” said Mohammad Al-Bashir, a 47-year-old Tunisian driver who was reciting his last prayers before leaving the scene.
The great pilgrimage had turned tragic in 2015, when a gigantic stampede left 2,300 dead.
This year, extreme temperatures, which sometimes reached 48 degrees Celsius, made these days trying for pilgrims, especially older ones returning to Mecca after three years of restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 2,000 people suffered from heat stress, according to Saudi authorities.
The actual number of heat stress cases, including heart attacks, exhaustion, cramps and rashes, is likely to be higher as many people have not been admitted to health facilities.
Data published by various countries, in particular Indonesia, report at least 230 deaths during the pilgrimage, without specifying the causes.
At the height of the pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, the Gulf kingdom had reduced the number of participants to a few thousand, compared to 2.5 million in 2019. The quota had been increased to 926,000 in 2022, but limited to less than 65 years.
06/30/2023 18:39:43 – Mecca (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
