Hajj returns to maximum capacity after coronavirus pandemic
Al JazeeraMuslim pilgrims in Mecca circled the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, and then converged on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert, officially opening the annual Hajj pilgrimage, returning to its maximum capacity for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. So far, more than 1.8 million pilgrims from all over the world have already amassed in and around Mecca for the Hajj, and the number was still growing as more pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia joined, said a spokesman for the Saudi Hajj Ministry, Ayedh al-Ghweinim. Egyptian businessman Yehya Al-Ghanam said he was at a loss for words to describe his feelings upon arriving at Mina, one of the biggest tent camps in the world outside Mecca, where pilgrims will stay for much of the Hajj. The final three days of the Hajj coincide with the festive Eid al-Adha holiday, when Muslims around the world slaughter livestock and distribute meat to the poor.