Mecca: Tens of thousands of pilgrims streamed out of Islam's holiest city on Friday after completing the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia's scorching summer heat.
Haj 1444 reached its culmination with three days of Rami Al-Jamarat, or the Stoning of the Devil, at the Jamarat complex in Mina coming to an end.
Pilgrims returned to the Grand Mosque in Mecca for performing a farewell tawaf — circling seven times around the Kaaba.
After the farewell Tawaf, a large number of pilgrims who stayed in Mecca will head to Madinah to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque and visit Islamic landmarks.
This year more than 1.8 million worshippers performed the Haj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and is among the world's largest religious gatherings.
"I am very happy that I finished the pilgrimage safely," said Mohammed al-Bashir, a 47-year-old Tunisian driver who was performing his last prayers on Friday.
More than 2,000 people have suffered heat stress this year, according to Saudi authorities, after temperatures soared to 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) during the annual rites.
At least 230 people -- many from Indonesia -- died during the pilgrimage, according to numbers announced by various countries which did not list causes of death.
The real figure for heat stress -- which includes heatstroke, exhaustion, cramps and rashes -- is probably far higher, as many sufferers were not admitted to hospitals or clinics.
This year's attendance figures marked a dramatic increase on the 926,000 from last year, when numbers were capped at one million following the Covid-19 pandemic. — Agencies
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