One million Muslim pilgrims have converged on Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca for the largest Hajj since the coronavirus pandemic.
The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam and a journey that every adult Muslim must make at least once in their lifetime, as long as they are physically and financially able to do so. It runs from the seventh to the twelfth day of Dhul Hijjah – the final month of the Islamic calendar – which this year is July 7-12.
Organisers limited participation in Hajj to domestic pilgrims only in 2020 and 2021, much to the disappointment of those who had spent years saving up for the religious rite. For the majority of Muslims, this is therefore the first opportunity they have had to embark on the spiritual and physical journey since 2019.
