Hundreds of thousands of Muslims began to pray on Friday, July 8, on Mount Arafat, in Saudi Arabia, the highest point of the hajj, which brings together the largest number of pilgrims since the Covid-19 in oppressive heat.
The faithful converged, by bus or on foot, towards the mountain where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his last sermon, also called "mountain of mercy" (Rahma, in Arabic), singing "God, I am here".
The pilgrims spent the night in tents set up in the Mina Valley, seven kilometers from the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, before beginning their ascent at dawn.
As a couple, in a group or alone, they will sit on the rocks and will spend the day praying and reciting the Koran, the most important ritual of the hajj.
One million worshipers, including 850,000 randomly selected foreigners, were allowed to make the pilgrimage this year, compared to just a few thousand, all resident in Saudi Arabia, for the past two years.
However, the number of participants remains half that of 2019, when Saudi Arabia welcomed 2.5 million Muslims.
The hajj, one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world, is one of the five pillars of Islam and should be undertaken by all Muslims who can afford it at least once in their lifetime.
It takes place in a context of epidemic recovery in several Gulf countries, which have recently put in place barrier measures.
Bags containing masks and disinfectant gel were distributed to pilgrims on Thursday in Mina.
Saudi authorities rolled out heavy security measures on Friday, cordoning off entrances and exits to the site, while helicopters hovered over the area.
The authorities want to prevent any overflow because the history of the hajj is studded with drama, in particular with an attack by armed men in the Great Mosque in 1979, which left 153 dead, and a stampede in Mina in 2015, which cost the lives of 2,300 people.
>> To read - Pilgrimage to Mecca: the rules are changing, for better or for worse?
Muslim pilgrims pray at the top of Mount Arafat, July 8, 2022. © Christina Assi, AFP
Temperatures approaching 44°C
Along the road leading to Mount Arafat, volunteers handed out bottles of water to pilgrims dressed all in white, while others collected rubbish.
The hajj takes place this year under a scorching sun and temperatures approaching 44°C.
Many faithful have brought umbrellas in anticipation of the day of prayers under the sun.
Saudi authorities say they have taken the necessary precautions to deal with these high temperatures by reserving hundreds of hospital beds and installing "a large number of misting fans".
Dozens of trucks distribute umbrellas, water bottles and small fans.
The National Meteorological Center also sends warning messages to pilgrims on their mobile phones, calling on them not to expose themselves during the hottest hours of the day.
As of 2019, some 2.5 million Muslims around the world have participated in the hajj.
A figure that fell to just a few thousand in 2020 and 60,000 in 2021, due to Covid-19.
© Christina Assi, AFP
After sunset, pilgrims will travel to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they will sleep under the stars, before preparing for Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) on Saturday.
On this day, pilgrims will perform the symbolic ceremony of the "stoning of the devil".
This ritual has resulted in deadly stampedes in the past, as hundreds of thousands of people converge on a tight space.
Then they will return to the Grand Mosque in Mecca to perform a final "tawaf" around the Kaaba, the cubic structure draped in black cloth embroidered with gold to which all Muslims turn to pray.
The summary of the
France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 app
google-play-badge_FR