Scorching heat tests hajj pilgrims at Mount Arafat as temperatures climb

Hundreds of thousands of hajj pilgrims prayed at Mount Arafat under intense desert heat, as Saudi authorities issued warnings and distributed water and shade amid soaring temperatures.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims gathered on Mount Arafat on Tuesday for the peak of the annual hajj pilgrimage as soaring desert temperatures added to the challenges of one of the world’s largest outdoor religious gatherings.

With temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius and recent highs of 44C recorded in Mecca, pilgrims spent hours praying under the harsh sun on the 70-metre rocky hill where Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.

From daybreak, worshippers dressed in white robes recited Quranic verses while volunteers distributed bottles of water, parasols and food packages to people making their way towards Mount Arafat.

“It is an indescribable feeling,” said Ahmoud Abou Elezz, a 35-year-old Egyptian engineer visiting Mount Arafat for the first time.

Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun during the largely outdoor rituals, which can last five days or more.

As men are prohibited from wearing hats during the pilgrimage, many carried umbrellas to shield themselves from the blistering heat.

More than 1.5 million pilgrims have joined this year’s hajj despite tensions across the Middle East linked to the US and Israeli war with Iran.

During the conflict, Tehran launched waves of drone and ballistic missile attacks targeting major infrastructure and energy facilities across the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia.

Iran’s IRNA state news agency said more than 30,000 Iranians travelled for the hajj this year, compared with the 86,000 originally expected, citing the “wartime situation” for the drop.

Despite the regional conflict, Saudi officials said over the weekend that the number of pilgrims arriving from abroad this year exceeded 2025 levels.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once by Muslims who have the physical and financial means to do so.

After prayers at Mount Arafat, pilgrims are expected to spend the night in Muzdalifah, where they will collect pebbles for the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina starting on Wednesday.

The pilgrimage follows the route of Prophet Mohammed’s final hajj around 1,400 years ago and remains central to the religious standing of Saudi Arabia’s ruling Al Saud dynasty, whose monarch holds the title “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” in Mecca and Medina.

This post is republished from AFP, Mount Arafat, Saudi Arabia.