This year's haj coincides with the Saudi summer; temperatures peaked at 48 deg C on Tuesday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
are taking part in the first unrestricted haj since Covid struck in 2020. About 2.5 million, the most on record, joined the pilgrimage in pre-pandemic 2019.
“I will not think of doing haj again until it takes place in winter,” said Farah, a 26-year-old Tunisian who did not want to give her full name.As helicopters buzzed overhead, pilgrims flooded the streets around Mina. The haj is a major revenue-earner for Saudi Arabia, which is trying to pivot its oil-reliant economy in new directions including tourism.More than 1.8 million people are taking part in the first unrestricted haj since Covid-19 struck in 2020. PHOTO: AFP
Mina’s walkways have proven deadly in the past: In 2015, a stampede killed up to 2,300 worshippers in the worst haj disaster ever. A similar incident killed 364 in 2006. In recent years the haj, which follows the lunar calendar, has fallen in the Saudi summer, at a time when global warming is making the desert climate even hotter.
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