Mecca

MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Some 2 million Muslim pilgrims officially began the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Monday, making their way out of Mecca after circling Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba, and converging on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert for a day and night of prayer. One…

Back to homepage / Middle East Vast crowds of robed pilgrims made solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Mecca's Grand Mosque, on Sunday as the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years began in the heat of the Saudi summer. Issued on: 25/06/2023 - 09:19Modified: 25/06/2023 - 12:01 3…

Huge crowds of pilgrims throng the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, as the biggest hajj in years gets underway in the searing Saudi Arabian heat. MECCA, Saudi Arabia: Vast crowds of robed pilgrims made solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Mecca's Grand Mosque, on Sunday…

Vast crowds of robed Muslim faithful walked solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Mecca's Grand Mosque on Sunday to begin the biggest hajj pilgrimage in several years, in the heat of the Saudi summer. Islam's holiest site is expected to host more than two million worshippers from…

The sons of Shaybah and their descendants continue to have the guardianship of the Kaaba. A tradition that the Prophet started after conquering Mecca in the eighth year following the Hijra. Then he gave Uthman Ibn Abi Talha the city’s key and said that the line of Shaybah’s sons had…

Saudis and foreign residents circumambulate (Tawaf) the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca, on October 4, 2020, as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. AFPMask-clad Muslims circled Islam’s holiest…

Hajj pilgrims walked around the Kaaba in Mecca on Sunday, following precise markings on the ground and wearing face masks to comply with coronavirus restrictions.Aug. 3, 2020Read More

MECCA. An aerial view of Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca, with the Abraj al-Bait Mecca Royal Clock Tower overlooking the Grand Mosque and Kaaba in the center, May 24, 2020. Photo by AFP RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Vacant religious sites. Abandoned pilgrim tents. Lifeless hotels. A stunning emptiness –…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi official said Tuesday that the hajj pilgrimage, which usually draws up to 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world, will only see at the most a few thousand pilgrims next month due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The…

A Saudi official says the Hajj pilgrimage, which usually draws millions of Muslims from all over the world, will only see at the most “thousands” of pilgrims next month due to the Covid-19 pandemic. he kingdom’s Hajj minister Muhammad Benten said it will be a “small and very limited” numbers…