Hajj 2022: Saudi Arabia prepares to welcome millions of pilgrims

The biggest hajj pilgrimage since the Covid pandemic began kicked off on July 6, with hundreds of thousands of mostly maskless worshippers expected to circle Islam's holiest site in Saudi Arabia's Mecca.

Hundreds of thousands of mostly maskless worshippers circled Islam's holiest site in Saudi Arabia on July 6, on the first day of the biggest hajj pilgrimage since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Credit: AFP Photo

One million fully vaccinated Muslims, including 850,000 from abroad, are allowed at this year's hajj in the city of Mecca; a big rise after two years of drastically curtailed numbers due to policies to stop the spread of infection. Credit: AFP Photo

At Mecca's Grand Mosque, pilgrims performed the 'tawaf', the circumambulation of the Kaaba, the large cubic structure draped in golden-embroidered black cloth that Muslims around the world turn towards to pray. Credit: AFP Photo

The pilgrimage consists of a series of religious rites which are completed over five days in Islam's holiest city and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia. Credit: AFP Photo

On July 7, the pilgrims will move to Mina, around five kilometres (three miles) away from the Grand Mosque, ahead of the main rite at Mount Arafat, where it is believed the Prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon. Credit: AFP Photo

Many pilgrims held umbrellas to block the hot sun as the temperature climbed to 42 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit). Credit: AFP Photo

The Saudi health ministry has prepared 23 hospitals and 147 health centres in Mecca and Medina, the second-holiest city in Islam, to accommodate pilgrims, media reported earlier this week. Credit: AFP Photo

The hajj poses a considerable security challenge and has seen several disasters over the years, including a 2015 stampede that killed up to 2,300 people. Credit: AFP Photo

This year's hajj is larger than the pared-down versions staged in 2020 and 2021 but still smaller than in normal times. Credit: AFP Photo