KSA: Pilgrims flocking to Mecca – Gulf Digital News

KSA: Pilgrims flocking to Mecca – Gulf Digital News

Thousands of pilgrims started arriving in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia yesterday, among some one million Muslims expected to attend the 2022 Haj pilgrimage season after two years of major disruption caused by the Covid pandemic.

Wrapped in white robes, with some carrying umbrellas against the burning desert sun, hundreds performed the first ritual of the Haj, which involves walking in a circle around the Kaaba.

“Praise be to God... It’s impossible to describe my feelings right now,” said Ahmed Sayed Mahmoud, an Egyptian pilgrim. “Being in the Grand Mosque and in the land of the two holy mosques makes me very happy.”

Saudi Arabia allowed back foreign travellers this year to perform the Haj. Only a few thousand Saudi citizens and residents attended the annual pilgrimage in the last two years as Covid-19 wreaked havoc across the global economy and curtailed travel.

However, authorities have said only 1m people can join the 2022 season, less than half of pre-pandemic levels, and access is restricted to pilgrims aged 18 to 65 who have been fully vaccinated or immunised against the virus and do not suffer from chronic diseases.

Security officers mixed with pilgrims inside the mosque. A web of surveillance cameras