More than a million worshippers gathered in Mecca on Monday for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest city, but the harsh heat has been brutal for many attendees. This week’s daytime temperatures will hover between 42 and 47 degrees Celsius, according to Saudi Arabian officials, and some pilgrims have already experienced heatstroke, fainting spells and even cardiac arrest.
To avoid the punishing sun, Inas Gamal abandoned her ambitious plan of spending the days ahead of the Hajj praying in Mecca's Grand Mosque and retreated to the comfort of an air-conditioned hotel room to perform her daytime prayers.
