On Wednesday, more than a million Muslims launched their once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Over five days, Muslim pilgrims can afford it and fit it physically – immerse themselves in a religious ritual born more than 1,400 years ago.
After entering Mecca, pilgrims begin their journey by circling the Kaaba, a black cube structure located in the heart of the great mosque and the sacred places of Islam.
The pilgrims then travel to other sacred places in Mecca where they perform additional rituals and acts of worship. Before leaving the sacred city, Muslims circle the hippo in seven more times, signifying spiritual farewell to the sacred sanctuary.
A once-in-a-lifetime spiritual experience, the normal perfection of Hajj is a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and wipe away the slate of past sins. You need to make a pilgrimage once in a lifetime, but some Muslims do hajj multiple times.
Raise summer temperatures
Hajj occurs once a year on the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar, known as the month of the month of the Durhijah month. This year, the annual pilgrimage will fall at the beginning of summer, making it an additional challenge for pilgrims to complete their journey.
After asphyxiation temperatures reached up to 47 degrees Celsius last year, more than 1,300 deaths have occurred, and Saudi authorities are taking additional steps to ensure the safety of visitors.
This year, Riad spent billions of dollars on crowd control and cooling systems. The world’s largest and unique cooling system installed at the Grand Mosque keeps pilgrims comfortable with temperatures ranging from 22 to 24°C, local media reported.
Pilgrims are also told not to go out and discover their heads during the day unless they need to do so during rituals, etc., and are given an official safety kit that provides advice on how to wear, how to recognize and treat fever fatigue and dehydration.
Riyadh also introduced a ban on participation for children under the age of 12 at this year’s Hajj, representing one of the biggest policy changes of the year.
Children are exempt from doing hajj and do not need to fulfill other religious obligations such as prayer and fasting until they reach puberty.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, in addition to faith, prayer, alms and fasting.
