It is one of the largest gatherings of people of its kind, with an estimated two million coming together for what is the journey of a lifetime for many.
But amid the baking sun and thronging crowds, how do pilgrims stay cool and hydrated?
From policemen spraying cool water from backpack-mounted hoses to air-conditioned marble floors, Hajj officials are attempting to make the summer heat of Mecca as manageable as possible. And last week it was announced that huge folding umbrellas will be installed in the courtyards of the Grand Mosque.
“Just when I thought I could not take it anymore, the police officers come spraying water, cold and refreshing," said Jordanian Zayed Al Dakheel, 37, of his Hajj last year.
"When you have been walking for 500 metres and you are sprayed with this water, it boosts your energy to continue, it is like taking a dose of energy.
“As soon as people spot the water police, they would race towards them, you’ll see dozens gathering around one policeman; some would also ask him to shower them from head to toe.”
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Hajj pilgrimage
All you need to know
Emirati pilgrims set off for Hajj
Watch: Saudi forces parade through Mecca ahead of Hajj
Saudi religious tourism set to rise following $50bn infrastructure investment
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This week, about two million pilgrims will converge on Mecca, presenting the Saudi authorities with a unique logistical challenge.
In between the heavy crowding and exhaustion pilgrims have to go through in order to complete their Hajj pillars, a little water is “like a gift from God”, said the 37-year-old from Jordan.
Inside Al Haram – where the sacred Kaaba lies and worshippers perform Tawaf and Saai - the marble floor remains cool, due to powerful air-conditioning from underneath.
There are fans all across and the covered areas of the mosque are air-conditioned.
It is also common practice for pilgrims, or benefactors in general, to buy boxes of water, juice or fruits from supermarket in Mecca so they can be distributed for free to pilgrims. Trucks drive around Mount Arafat to distribute refreshments.
“We were walking towards the Haram and it was very hot and the distance was far, then a man offered to drop us in his air-conditioned van," said Mr Al Dakheel.
“There were also motorists volunteering rides to pilgrims. When we asked how much, he said it was voluntary and just asked us to pray for him.”
Such vans and micro-buses were quite common, he added.
The UAE's Hajj mission team has been investing in new facilities to provide pilgrims respite.
“For the first time in Arafat history, a 25-tonne air-conditioning unit is being added to a tent,” said Abdulrahman Al Tunaiji, from the UAE Hajj mission.
“Each tent has four units of AC, adding up to 100 tons. The temperature inside the tent can drop down to 18 degrees.”
In addition, fans that spray water have been added across the pathways between tents at the UAE camp sites. The mission has also prepared power generators to supply all of their camps in case they run out of power. This year a total of 6,228 Emiratis have been granted approval to perform Hajj – in addition to 400 pilgrims who work for the mission.
“Umbrellas that are equipped with fans can also be found at the market in Mecca," Al Tunaiji added.
Read more: The Saudi factory that stitches the Kaaba's gold-laced cover
As for the Haram itself, he said it has been equipped with a cooling system that works on many levels.
Physical changes have also been made to the Haram to congestion.
Moreover, the new levels that have been built at the Jamarat – where pilgrims perform the stoning – to eased congestion to a great extent.
“Now pilgrims can go up to the second or third level to avoid overcrowding, only older pilgrims and those who cannot climb the stairs remain on the ground level,” explained Mr Al Dakheel.
“The marble is cooled, there are fans all around the Haram, inside and outside,” said Mira Mohammed, an Emirati pilgrim, who arrived in Mecca on Saturday to perform Hajj for the first time.
She added that she was provided with a fanned umbrella that sprays water from her Hajj agency.
“It is called the 'Mecca umbrella', but we have not used it yet. I think it will be helpful later in Mina and Arafa,” she added.
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Switzerland 0
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Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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The five pillars of Islam
