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View all search resultsPilgrims arrive in Mecca for second pandemic haj
The kingdom is allowing only 60,000 fully vaccinated residents to take part, seeking to repeat last year's success that saw no virus outbreak during the five-day ritual.
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P
ilgrims began arriving in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca Saturday for the second downsized haj staged during the coronavirus pandemic, circling Islam's holiest site in masks and on distanced paths.
The kingdom is allowing only 60,000 fully vaccinated residents to take part, seeking to repeat last year's success that saw no virus outbreak during the five-day ritual.
This year's haj, with participants chosen through a lottery, is larger than the pared-down version staged in 2020 but drastically smaller than in normal times, stoking resentment among Muslims abroad who are barred once again.
After boarding buses to Mecca's Grand Mosque, pilgrims began performing the "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Kaaba, a large cubic structure draped in golden-embroidered black cloth, towards which Muslims around the world pray.
Many carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching summer heat.
"Every three hours, 6,000 people enter to perform the tawaf of arrival," haj ministry spokesman Hisham al-Saeed told AFP. "After each group leaves, a sterilisation process is carried out at the sanctuary."
Golden ticket
