- New York to revive driver congestion charge plan
- Brazil probes Supreme Court bomb blasts as 'terrorist act'
- Sotheby's to pay $6.25 mln in tax fraud case
- McIlroy shares Dubai lead with Ballesteros mark in sight
- Lebanon army redeployment in south crucial to war solution: UN peacekeeping chief
- US stocks wobble as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Trump fills out cabinet as divisive picks shock Washington
- Son hits 50th South Korea goal in win, Australia-Saudi stalemate
- BHP, Vale cleared by Brazil court over 2015 dam disaster
- Satirical US outlet The Onion buys conspiracy site Infowars
- Scotland must emulate Croatia's 'conveyor belt of talent': Clarke
- Legal migration to OECD reaches new record in 2023
- Robinson edges Benazzi to succeed Beaumont as head of World Rugby
- India's capital shuts all primary schools due to smog
- Central bank independence 'fundamental' for good policy: Fed official
- Fritz beats De Minaur to eye ATP Finals last four, Sinner through
- Doris expecting a 'proper test' against Argentina
- Russia's exiled opposition hopes for rebirth with Berlin rally
- EU fines Meta $840 million for 'abusive' Facebook ad practices
- Springboks boss Erasmus expects England to 'play for Borthwick'
- Before Leicester, Ranieri's brush with glory with his beloved Roma
- Stock markets rise as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Australian Robinson edges Benazzi to head World Rugby
- US director Haynes to lead Berlinale 2025 jury
- Iran tells UN nuclear chief willing to resolve 'ambiguities'
- Coach owner Tapestry calls off Capri bid on regulatory blocks
- UK government announces ban on new coal mines
- US ski star Lindsey Vonn, 40, to attempt competitive return
- Ranieri comes out of retirement to lead hometown club Roma
- England recall Steward and Van Poortvliet for South Africa Test
- EU fines Meta 798 mn euros for Facebook ad antitrust breach
- Australian Brett Robinson graduates to rugby's top post
- Brazil looking for motive after attempted Supreme Court bombing
- Hotels on Booking.com can offer better rates elsewhere: EU
- EU deforestation ban in chaos as parliament loosens rules
- Springboks make 12 changes to team for England clash
- All Blacks fly-half Barrett returns from concussion against France
- UEFA launches investigation into Premier League referee Coote
- Monaco Formula One GP extended until 2031
- Climate finance: who is being asked to pay what at COP29?
- 'Terrible' AI has given tech an existential headache: activist
- COP29 host tries to calm waters after diplomatic turmoil
- Late drama as Saudis hold Australia in World Cup qualifier
- Stock markets diverge as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Israel warfare methods 'consistent with genocide': UN committee
- 'In-form leader' Fickou starts for France against New Zealand
- Iran activist kills himself after demanding release of prisoners
- Russia shuts Moscow's famed gulag museum
- London mayor says Trump attacks due to his ethnicity and religion
- Japan expect tough Indonesia test with World Cup spot in reach
CMSC | 0.08% | 24.63 | $ | |
SCS | -1.6% | 13.16 | $ | |
GSK | -0.01% | 35.105 | $ | |
BP | 1.23% | 28.925 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.07% | 24.747 | $ | |
BTI | 0.74% | 35.685 | $ | |
AZN | 0.91% | 65.89 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.59% | 59.25 | $ | |
RIO | -0.18% | 60.51 | $ | |
BCC | -2.15% | 139.55 | $ | |
JRI | -0.36% | 13.193 | $ | |
RYCEF | -4.56% | 6.8 | $ | |
BCE | -0.35% | 27.114 | $ | |
VOD | -0.34% | 8.72 | $ | |
RELX | 0.16% | 46.195 | $ | |
NGG | 0.84% | 62.645 | $ |
Pilgrims scale Mount Arafat for climax of biggest Covid-era hajj
Huge crowds of Muslim pilgrims started praying on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat early Friday, the high point of the biggest hajj pilgrimage since the pandemic forced drastic cuts in numbers for two years in a row.
The worshippers, capped at one million including 850,000 from abroad chosen by lottery, spent the night at camps in the valley of Mina, seven kilometres (four miles) from Mecca's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site.
In the early hours of Friday, they converged on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon, for the most important of the hajj rituals.
They will stay all day at the site, praying and reciting the Koran, the Muslim holy book.
After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, half-way between Arafat and Mina, where they will sleep under the stars before performing the symbolic "stoning of the devil" ceremony on Saturday.
This year's hajj is taking place against the backdrop of a resurgence of Covid-19 in the region, with some Gulf countries tightening restrictions to keep outbreaks in check.
All participants were required to submit proof of full vaccination and negative PCR tests. Upon reaching Mina on Thursday, they were handed small bags containing masks and sanitiser.
The hajj, usually one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, is among the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives.
In 2019, some 2.5 million Muslims from around the world took part, as in previous years.
But the coronavirus outbreak has since forced Saudi authorities to dramatically downsize the hajj. Just 60,000 fully vaccinated citizens and residents of the kingdom participated in 2021, up from a few thousand in 2020.
- Sun and tears -
The pilgrimage can be physically draining even in ideal conditions, but worshippers this year have faced an added challenge: scorching sun and temperatures rising to 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit).
Islam forbids men from wearing hats once the rites start, and many have been seen shielding themselves with umbrellas, prayer mats and even, in one case, a small bucket filled with water.
Women, meanwhile, are obliged to cover their heads with scarves.
On the mountain Friday morning, many of the worshippers wept as they prayed, and carried umbrellas in preparation for the high temperatures later in the day.
- Extreme conditions -
"We can tolerate (the heat). We are here for the hajj. The more we tolerate, the more our pilgrimage is accepted," Laila, a 64-year-old Iraqi pilgrim who gave only her first name, told AFP in Mecca before reaching the mount.
Saudi officials have touted their preparations for the extreme conditions, highlighting the hundreds of hospital beds allocated for heat stroke patients and the "large number of misting fans" they have provided.
A truck has also been allocated to distribute umbrellas, water bottles and small fans.
Nevertheless, the National Centre for Meteorology, which has set up an office in Mina, is sending warnings to pilgrims on their mobile phones, urging them to avoid outdoor rituals at certain times of the day, especially at noon.
On Saturday, Muslim pilgrims will take part in the "stoning", the last major ritual of this year's hajj.
This ritual has in past years led to deadly stampedes, as hundreds of thousands of participants converge on a small space.
After the stoning ritual, pilgrims return to the Grand Mosque in Mecca to perform a final "tawaf" or circling of the Kaaba, the cubic structure draped in a gold-embroidered black cloth that is the focal point of Islam.
Eid al-Adha, feast of the sacrifice, marks the end of hajj.
O.Krause--BTB