Muslims began the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Monday, with rites gathering in Mecca as pilgrims from around the world arrived for one of Islam’s Five Pillars, organizers and officials said. More than 1.5 million pilgrims had come into Saudi Arabia from outside the country by the time the Hajj officially started, according to Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, commander of the Hajj passport forces.
The start of the pilgrimage has come amid war-related concerns in the region. Pilgrims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and broader regional tensions, with uncertainty shaping how travel and logistics have played out in the weeks leading to Hajj.
For many, the journey has been a long-planned personal milestone. Egyptian pilgrim Samya Abdul Moneim said she felt grateful to God for making it to Hajj, describing the experience in Mecca on Sunday as “a state of blessing and happiness,” and saying, “It’s an indescribable feeling, truly. I mean, thank God, I am in a blessing.”
Ahead of the first-day rituals in Mecca, pilgrims have spent time circling the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in sweltering temperatures. On the first day, many pilgrims were set to converge on a large tent camp in the nearby desert, according to the account of the initial stages of the pilgrimage.
Pilgrims also have been managing the heat while carrying out religious duties. Many used umbrellas for shade and handheld fans, while volunteers handed out water bottles and used large fans to spray fine mists of water to help people stay hydrated.
As the pilgrimage continued, the logistics and costs of getting there have also been influenced by energy-market uncertainty. The article described how authorities in Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, emphasized contingency planning ahead of the Hajj season and issued instructions meant to ensure additional travel costs not be passed on to Indonesian pilgrims. In India, where there is a large Muslim minority, the account said pilgrimage planning proceeded largely as normal, though high fuel prices had pushed up travel costs for pilgrims.
The broader economic backdrop is linked in part to the Iran conflict and shipping conditions in the region. The report said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would begin to ease a worldwide energy crisis sparked by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, which led Tehran to effectively close the waterway; it also noted that the U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports for more than a month. On Sunday, Trump said in remarks on the issue that the blockade “will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”
Trump also described the status of talks with Iran during the same period. He said a deal with Iran on the war, including opening the Strait of Hormuz, has been “largely negotiated” after calls with Israel and other allies in the region, adding that it still needed to be finalized by the United States, Iran and other participants in the calls.
Hajj rituals are set to unfold over several days, and the coming day was described as a key moment of the pilgrimage. On Tuesday—described as the pinnacle—pilgrims are to stand on the plain of Arafat, where they praise God, plead for forgiveness and make supplications, with many carrying prayer requests from loved ones and raising their hands in worship.
Sources: NPR reported the Associated Press account detailing the start of Hajj in Mecca and the regional context affecting pilgrims’ travel and planning.