Muslims begin initial Hajj rites in Mecca

About one million pilgrims from across the world are converging at Mina in Saudi Arabia as the annual five-day Haj pilgrimage began Thursday. More than 79 thousand pilgrims from India are participating in the pilgrimage after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 pandemic. The pilgrims began their journey from holy city of Mecca to assemble in Mina. They will spend the night there and move towards plains of Arafat at dawn on Friday for the day's main ritual of Haj, reciting prayers. Only those people are allowed to take part in pilgrimage who are below 65 years of age and have been vaccinated against COVID. At the centre of the Grand Mosque's courtyard on Thursday, thousands of pilgrims circled the Kaaba.
The Haj pilgrimage was restricted to sixty thousand local residents from the Kingdom last year to contain spread of pandemics and to ensure safety of pilgrims. Around 2.5 million pilgrims including record two lakh pilgrims from India performed Haj in 2019 before the pandemic outbreak. On the first day of Hajj at Mecca's Grand Mosque, pilgrims will perform the "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Kaaba, the large cubic structure draped in golden-embroidered black cloth. Muslims believe the Kaaba was constructed by Prophet Abraham and all Muslims around the world turn towards it when conducting the five daily prayers. 

Those coming from outside Saudi Arabia were required to submit a negative 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. 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, it is also a big source of revenue for the world's biggest oil exporter, which is trying to diversify its economy.