MECCA, Saudi Arabia — Hundreds of thousands of mostly maskless
worshippers circled Islam’s holiest
site in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, on the first day of the biggest hajj
pilgrimage since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
اضافة اعلان
One million fully vaccinated Muslims, including
850,000 from abroad, are allowed at this year’s
hajj in the city of Mecca, a
big rise after two years of drastically curtailed numbers due to policies to
stop the spread of infection.
At Mecca’s Grand Mosque, pilgrims performed the
“tawaf”, the circum-ambulation of the Kaaba, the large cubic structure draped
in golden-embroidered black cloth that Muslims around the world turn towards to
pray.
Authorities said last month that masks would be
required at the site, but that has been largely ignored so far.
Many pilgrims held umbrellas to block the hot sun as
the temperature climbed to 42°C.
The Saudi health ministry has prepared 23 hospitals
and 147 health cen-ters in Mecca and Medina, the second-holiest city in Islam,
to accommo-date pilgrims, state media reported this week.
That includes allocating more than 1,000 beds for
patients requiring in-tensive care and more than 200 specifically for
heatstroke patients, while dispatching more than 25,000 health workers to
respond to cases as they arise.
The hajj poses a considerable security challenge and
has seen several dis-asters over the years, including a 2015 stampede that
killed up to 2,300 people.
No incidents had been reported as of Wednesday
afternoon.
Five days of rituals
This year’s hajj is larger
than the pared-down versions staged in 2020 and 2021 but still smaller than in
normal times.
In 2019, some 2.5 million
Muslims from around the
world participated in the annual event — a key pillar of Islam that able-bodied
Muslims must undertake at least once in their lives.
But after that, the coronavirus outbreak forced a
dramatic downsizing. Just 60,000 fully vaccinated citizens and residents of the
kingdom took part in 2021, up from a few thousand in 2020.
The pilgrimage consists of a series of religious rites
which are completed over five days in Islam’s holiest city and its surroundings
in western Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday, the pilgrims will move to Mina, around
5km away from the Grand Mosque, ahead of the main rite at Mount Arafat, where
it is believed the Prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon.
Four hospitals and 26 health centers are ready to
treat pilgrims in Mina, state media said, while the visitors will stay in
air-conditioned white tents.
This year’s hajj is restricted to vaccinated Muslims
under the age of 65 chosen from millions of applicants through an online
lottery system.
Those coming from
outside Saudi Arabia were required to submit a neg-ative COVID-19 PCR result
from a test taken within 72 hours of travel.
Since the start of the pandemic, Saudi Arabia has
registered more than 795,000 coronavirus cases, more than 9,000 of them fatal.
Those attempting to perform the hajj without a
permit face fines of 10,000 Saudi riyals (around $2,600).
Policemen in the mountainous city have set up checkpoints
and conduct-ed foot patrols.
Some pilgrims have donned clothing featuring the
names and flags of their countries. “
Hajj 2020 — Chad” was written on the back
of the white robes of one group.
Hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige and a
powerful source of political legitimacy for Saudi Arabia’s rulers.
Costing at least $5,000 per person, the hajj is also
a money-spinner for the world’s biggest oil exporter, which is trying to
diversify its economy.
In normal years, the pilgrimage brings in billions
of dollars.
Saudi Arabia now allows women to attend the hajj
unaccompanied by male relatives, a requirement that was dropped last year.
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