Pilgrims gather on Mount Arafat in the hot desert sun Religious Matters

Many Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat for the most important ritual of the Hajj pilgrimage, as the desert sun sent temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Beginning at dawn on Tuesday, thousands of white-robed worshipers recited verses from the Koran on a 70-meter (230-foot) stone mountain near Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have given his last sermon.

Volunteers lined the route, handing out water bottles, parasols and food packets to thousands of pilgrims on their way to the mountain.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Ahmoud Abou Elezz, a 35-year-old engineer from Egypt, as he approached Mount Arafat for the first time.

More than 1.5 million people have joined the Hajj this year, even as the war between the United States and Israel against Iran casts a long shadow over the Middle East.

During the war, Tehran retaliated with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, hitting major infrastructure and power installations across the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia.

More than 30,000 Iranians have made the trip, about a third of the 86,000 originally expected. Iran’s state news agency IRNA said “wartime” explained the decline.

Despite the controversy, Saudi officials said at the weekend that more pilgrims will travel from abroad this year than in 2024.

Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory once in a lifetime for all Muslims who are physically and financially able to perform it.

With temperatures reaching 44C (111F) in Mecca in recent days, Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun during most of the time outside, which can last five days or more.

Because men are prohibited from wearing hats, many carry umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching heat.

After the day on Mount Arafat, the pilgrims will spend the night in Muzdalifah, where they will collect precious stones to symbolize the “stoning of the devil” in Mina, which will begin on Wednesday.

The Hajj is said to follow the path of the Prophet Muhammad’s last pilgrimage some 1,400 years ago, and has long been an important source of power for the Al Saud dynasty, whose king is called the “Guardian of the Two Holy Mosques” in Mecca and Medina.