More than 1.5 million worshippers arrive in Mecca for Hajj pilgrimage with more expected to join them for world’s largest annual gathering of Muslims

More than 1.5 million Muslim pilgrims have arrived in Mecca ahead of the start of the Hajj later this week, and Saudi officials say more worshipers are expected to join.

Hundreds of thousands of Saudis and others live there Saudi Arabia will also join them when the pilgrimage officially begins on Friday.

The Hajj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, is one of the five pillars of Islam.

All Muslims are required to undertake the annual journey at least once in their lives, if they are physically and financially able to do so.

Those who participate in the Hajj view the pilgrimage as an opportunity to strengthen their faith, erase old sins and make a fresh start.

An aerial view shows Muslims coming from all over the world to the holy land continue their prayers to fulfill the Hajj pilgrimage as they walk around and pray at the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Muslim worshipers walk near the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca

Muslim pilgrims are seen arriving in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca on Tuesday

Saudi officials have said they expect the number of pilgrims this year to exceed 2023, when more than 1.8 million people performed the hajj, which was slightly lower than the pre-pandemic level of 2.4 million in 2019.

Saudi authorities control the flow of pilgrims through quotas, giving each country one pilgrim per thousand Muslim citizens.

The pilgrims included 4,200 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank who arrived in Mecca earlier this month, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip was unable to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj this year due to the ongoing conflict between the two countries Israel And Hamas.

Ibrahim al-Hadhari, an Algerian pilgrim, said: ‘We pray that Palestine will be free and (for the Palestinians) to liberate their land and be like other nations, to live in peace and not always wage war’ .

On Tuesday, pilgrims thronged the Grand Mosque in Mecca, performing a ritual circumambulation that involves walking seven times around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure within the mosque that is considered Islam’s holiest site.

They wore ihrams, two unstitched sheets of white cloth that resemble a shroud.

Many were seen sweating heavily under the scorching sun, as temperatures reached 42ºC and 45ºC respectively on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I was relieved when I arrived at Al-Masjid Al-Haram and saw the Kaaba,” said Rabeia al-Raghi, a Moroccan woman who came to Mecca for the Hajj with her husband and their daughter. ‘I am very happy.’

Muslim pilgrims walk around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building at the Grand Mosque in Mecca

The Kaaba is photographed here as night falls over the Saudi city of Mecca

Muslim pilgrims arrive to offer prayers at the Grand Mosque

Muslims from all over the world worship, recite the Holy Quran and walk around the Kaaba on Friday, June 7

Muslim pilgrims visit al-Noor Mountain (Jabal al-Nour) where the Cave of Hira is located and where the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation, making it one of the most visited holy sites by Muslims

Would-be pilgrims are seen engaging in worship to fulfill the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca

A general view of a street in Mecca as the sun shines on the city – while temperatures reached 42°C and 45°C respectively on Tuesday and Wednesday

Muslim pilgrims wait for immigration after arriving for the annual Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca, at Jeddah International Airport

A view of Mecca as Muslim pilgrims visit Mount al-Noor

Muslims from all over the world visit Jabal ar-Rahmah (Mountain of Mercy), about 20 kilometers southwest of Mecca

Muslims from all over the world worship and walk around the Kaaba to fulfill the Hajj pilgrimage

Pilgrim buses are ready to transport worshipers to the center of Mecca after arriving in the city

Abdel-Baset, an Iraqi pilgrim from Baghdad who works as a lawyer, added: “We congratulate the large crowd and thank God for gathering us from all regions, worldwide and not just from the Arab world, from all global Muslim regions. [who] came to the Grand Mosque’.

On Tuesday evening, the vast marble courtyard surrounding the Kaaba was packed with worshippers, walking almost shoulder to shoulder and often jostled by barricades set up by security forces to direct the crowds in and around the Grand Mosque.

Pilgrims take part in the walk, known as ‘Tawaf’ in Arabic, upon arrival in Mecca – while the large crowds continue to circle the Kaaba until the first day of the Hajj.

On Friday, pilgrims will head to Mount Arafat for a daytime vigil, then to Muzdalifah, a rocky area a few kilometers away.

In Muzdalifa, pilgrims collect pebbles to use in symbolically stoning pillars representing the devil in Mina.

A man holds a sacrificial animal for sale at a local livestock market ahead of the Muslim festival Eid Al-Adha, held every year to mark the Hajj

A vendor rests at a sacrificial animal market ahead of Eid Al-Adha in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Wednesday

Traders display their cows and goats for sale at the Sibreh animal market on Wednesday, ahead of Eid al-Adha in Sibreh, Indonesia

A general view of a livestock market prior to Eid al-Adha in Bangalore, India