Saudi Arabia tackles sweltering heat as Muslim pilgrims embark on Hajj journey

Published on 04/06/2025 - 18:39 GMT+2

Over a cardinal Muslims person begun nan once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage, Hajj, connected Wednesday successful Saudi Arabia's Mecca, arsenic further measures are taken to contend pinch this year's sweltering heat, expected to transcend 40 degrees Celsius.

Over nan span of 5 days, Muslim pilgrims - who tin spend it and are physically fresh - will immerse themselves successful belief rituals that originated much than 1,400 years ago.

After entering Mecca, pilgrims will commencement their travel by circling nan Kaaba, a achromatic cube-shaped building successful nan centre of nan Great Mosque and Islam's holiest site, 7 times successful a anti-clockwise guidance to definitive a unified devotion to 1 God.

Pilgrims will past recreation to different ineffable sites successful Mecca, wherever they will execute further rituals and acts of worship. Before leaving nan beatified city, Muslims will circle nan Kaaba different 7 times, signifying a belief farewell to nan ineffable sanctuary.

A successful completion of nan Hajj, a belief acquisition of a lifetime, is simply a chance to activity God's forgiveness and tin swipe nan slate cleanable of past sins. While it's only required to do nan visit erstwhile successful a lifetime, immoderate Muslims execute nan Hajj aggregate times.

Soaring summertime temperatures

The Hajj occurs erstwhile a twelvemonth during nan 12th and past period of nan Islamic calendar, called nan lunar period of Dhul-Hijja. This year, nan yearly visit falls astatine nan commencement of summer, making nan power an further situation to pilgrims completing nan journey.

After past year's suffocating temperatures, reaching up to 47 degrees Celsius, resulted successful much than 1,300 deaths, Saudi authorities are taking further measures to guarantee nan information of visitors.

This year, Riyadh has spent billions of dollars connected crowd power and cooling systems. The world's largest and a one-of-a-kind cooling strategy installed successful nan Grand Mosque will support pilgrims comfortable astatine temperatures ranging from 22-24 degrees Celsius, section media reported.

Pilgrims are besides being told to debar going retired during nan time and uncovering their heads, unless basal specified arsenic during rituals and are fixed an charismatic information kit offering proposal connected what to deterioration and bring and explaining really to recognise and dainty power exhaustion and dehydration symptoms.

Representing 1 of nan biggest argumentation changes successful years, Riyadh has besides introduced a prohibition connected nan information of children younger than 12 years aged successful this year's Hajj.

Children are exempt from doing nan Hajj and are not required to fulfil different belief obligations, specified arsenic praying and fasting, until they scope puberty.

Hajj is 1 of nan Five Pillars of Islam, successful summation to faith, prayer, almsgiving and fasting.