Thousands of Muslim pilgrims began leaving the holy city of Makkah on Friday after completing the annual Hajj pilgrimage under intense heat and amid ongoing tensions across the Middle East.
More than 1.7 million pilgrims from 165 countries participated in this year’s Hajj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. The pilgrimage took place against the backdrop of the conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year.
Since the outbreak of war in February, Iran has launched several waves of drone and missile attacks targeting infrastructure and energy facilities across the Gulf region, including in Saudi Arabia, which hosts Islam’s holiest sites.
Despite the regional unrest, over 30,000 Iranian pilgrims traveled to Makkah to perform Hajj. However, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that the number remained significantly lower than the 86,000 pilgrims initially expected due to the “wartime situation.”
Pilgrims expressed both relief and joy after successfully completing the demanding religious rituals in difficult weather conditions. Egyptian pilgrim Ahmed Mamdouh, 37, became emotional as he described his first Hajj experience and said he felt grateful to complete the pilgrimage safely despite the exhausting heat.
Meanwhile, 74-year-old Algerian pilgrim Al-Zaoui said he and his wife had fulfilled a lifelong dream by performing Hajj together after 50 years of marriage.
On Friday, pilgrims completed the final stage of the symbolic stoning ritual in Mina, where worshippers throw pebbles at pillars representing the devil. Afterwards, they traveled to the Grand Mosque in Makkah to perform the farewell tawaf around the Holy Kaaba.
Following the deaths of more than 1,300 pilgrims during last year’s extreme heat, Saudi authorities expanded shaded areas and deployed thousands of additional health workers to improve safety measures during this year’s Hajj season.
