Huge crowds of Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat on Tuesday, the finale of the Hajj pilgrimage, as a blistering desert sun brought temperatures climbing to 40 degrees. Thousands of white-robed believers began reciting Quranic verses at dawn on the 70-meter (230-foot) rocky hill in Makkah where the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is said to have given his last speech.
Volunteers distributed water bottles, parasols, and food bundles to tens of thousands of pilgrims as they approached Mount Arafat. It is an indescribable feeling,” remarked Ahmoud Abou Elezz, a 35-year-old Egyptian engineer, as he neared Mount Arafat for the first time.
Despite the shadow of war cast by the United States and Israel’s conflict with Iran, over 1.5 million people participated in the Hajj this year. During the conflict, Tehran responded with waves of drone and ballistic missile strikes on important infrastructure and energy assets throughout the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia. More than 30,000 Iranians have made the voyage, accounting for around one-third of the 86,000 originally planned. The “wartime situation” explained the decline, according to Iran’s IRNA state news agency.
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