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A Closer Look: Up to 2 million Muslims expected to make Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah

The National's Ali Al Shouk outlines what to expect from this year's pilgrimage

The National

June 13, 2024

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  • Arabic

In A Closer Look, The National provides an in-depth take on one of the main stories of the week

With around two million people making the trip each year, the Hajj – the pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia – is considered to be the world’s largest human gathering.

Every Muslim is required to perform Hajj at least once in their lifetime, as long as they are physically, emotionally and financially eligible to do so.

This year, the ritual is taking place with the Israel-Gaza war on the minds of Muslims across the world, and amid warnings from Saudi officials about high temperatures.

Here, host Greg Tanner speaks to The National's senior news reporter Ali Al Shouk about the event, its history and expectations for this year’s attendance.

Read more

Thousands of Emiratis to make Hajj pilgrimage this week

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Hajj pilgrimage: in pictures

  • Muslim worshippers gather near the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. AFP
    Muslim worshippers gather near the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. AFP
  • Muslim pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
    Muslim pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
  • Muslims pray around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Muslims pray around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Fans spray water vapour to cool pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
    Fans spray water vapour to cool pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
  • Pilgrims walk between the Marwa and Safa hills at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Pilgrims walk between the Marwa and Safa hills at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • A pilgrim prays at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
    A pilgrim prays at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
  • Worshippers gather around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
    Worshippers gather around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
  • Pilgrims pray around the Kaaba. AFP
    Pilgrims pray around the Kaaba. AFP
  • Pilgrims surround the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
    Pilgrims surround the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
  • Hajj season at a shopping mall in Riyadh and a billboard reminds passers-by they need a permit to perform a pilgrimage. AFP
    Hajj season at a shopping mall in Riyadh and a billboard reminds passers-by they need a permit to perform a pilgrimage. AFP
  • Hajj pilgrims in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, leave for Makkah in Saudi Arabia. EPA
    Hajj pilgrims in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, leave for Makkah in Saudi Arabia. EPA
  • In Srinagar, a relative kisses a pilgrim before departure for the Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah. EPA
    In Srinagar, a relative kisses a pilgrim before departure for the Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah. EPA
  • A Saudi welcome for pilgrims on their arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. AFP
    A Saudi welcome for pilgrims on their arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. AFP
  • Yemeni pilgrims wish loved ones well as they prepare to board a flight from Sanaa airport to Makkah to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. AFP
    Yemeni pilgrims wish loved ones well as they prepare to board a flight from Sanaa airport to Makkah to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. AFP
  • At Kashmiri Mashjid in Kathmandu, Nepal, relatives gather to wish their grandmother well as she leaves for Hajj in Saudi Arabia. EPA
    At Kashmiri Mashjid in Kathmandu, Nepal, relatives gather to wish their grandmother well as she leaves for Hajj in Saudi Arabia. EPA
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May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

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February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month.

December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility.

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New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people.

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