Pilgrims flock to Mina as Hajj begins

Published: 10:01 AM, 25 May, 2026
Featured News, Topics, Travel
Pilgrims flock to Mina as Hajj begins
Caption: Pilgrims start arriving in Mina Tent City as Hajj rituals began.

The rituals of annual Hajj commenced on Monday as pilgrims have started to arrive in Mina amid searing heat with Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announcing that all field and operational preparations for transporting pilgrims to the tent city of Mina have been in place.

Pilgrims started departing to Mina from their residences in Makkah to observe the Day of Tarwiyah on Monday, marking the beginning of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Hundreds of thousands of domestic pilgrims will join more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims who have arrived in the Kingdom from across the globe for this year’s Hajj.

Following the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), pilgrims are reciting the talbiyah and glorifying God as they make their way to the Tent City.

Pilgrims perform most of the Hajj's rites outdoors where devotees gather in stifling conditions, with many attendees succumbing to heatstroke, fainting spells and even cardiac arrest triggered by the heat.

Saudi Arabia's National Center for Meteorology predicted daytime temperatures this week would hover between 42 and 47 degrees Celsius in Makkah during the Hajj.

For pilgrims travelling from outside the region, the harsh desert climate can be brutal.

"I make sure to drink large amounts of water and beverages rich in salts and minerals, because we sweat constantly and are always on the move," said Imad Ahmed, visiting from Britain.

To protect worshippers from the extreme heat, authorities rely on one of the most powerful air conditioning systems in the world to cool the Grand Mosque's courtyards, according to Saudi state television.

Other areas have huge fans, mist sprayers and cooled flooring systems to mitigate the searing heat.

Trucks are also continuously distributing free bottles of ice-cold water to pilgrims. But even with these measures, the unrelenting sun continues to bake the white marble surrounding the grounds of the Grand Mosque where most pilgrims have congregated in recent days.

"It's really hot," said Mohamed Nabil, who hails from the Algerian coastal city of Oran, where temperatures are currently around 25 degrees Celsius.

The 43-year-old professor said he regularly pours water on his face to stay cool, while racking up 30,000 steps a day as he explores Makkah.

Ice cream stands are often mobbed by pilgrims, while others seek shelter in the shade of buildings near the mosque or in indoor galleries, where they lie on carpets beneath enormous fans while waiting to perform their prayers.

As the Hajj began, pilgrims will be forced to beat the heat for many of the rites, including the pilgrimage's climax at Mount Arafat on Tuesday where there is little if any shade to be found on the rocky hill.

More than 50,000 healthcare staff and 3,000 ambulances are on hand to help pilgrims in need, the Saudi health ministry said.

On Saturday, the ministry said its medical teams had already treated 144 people suffering from heatstroke.

In 2024, more than 1,300 pilgrims died as temperatures crossed 50 degrees Celsius, according to authorities.

Speaking from a hospital room in the Mina camp, where authorities treat pilgrims for heat exhaustion, the health ministry's Jameel Abualenain said he was mainly concerned "about rising temperatures" affecting pilgrims.

To protect against heatstroke, he said people must "drink enough water, use umbrellas and avoid prolonged exposure to the sun".

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