Pilgrims pray at dawn on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage on June 15, 2023. (Pictures by Fadel Senna / AFP)
Mount Arafat, Saudi Arabia: More than 1.5 million pilgrims braved extreme heat to reach Mount Arafat on Saturday for the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, praying for hours.
Clad in white, worshippers began arriving at dawn for the most gruelling day of the annual rites, ascending the rocky, 70-metre (230-foot) hill where the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is believed to have given his last sermon.
"This is the most important day," said 46-year-old Egyptian Mohammed Asser, who came prepared with a list of prayers. "I pray also for the Palestinians. May God help them."
This year's hajj is unfolding in the shadow of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Saudi Arabia's minister in charge of religious pilgrimages, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, warned last week that "no political activity" would be tolerated during the hajj.
But that did not stop at least one pilgrim from chanting in support of the Palestinians who have endured more than eight months of incessant bombardment.
"Pray for our brothers in Palestine, in Gaza... may God give victory to the Muslims," he shouted.
Some 2,000 Palestinians are performing the hajj at the special invitation of Saudi, official media said.
'Scary' heat
The hajj, one of the world's biggest religious gatherings, is increasingly affected by climate change, according to a Saudi study published last month that said regional temperatures were rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade.
The rituals, which take at least five days to complete and are mostly outdoors, are "not easy because it is very hot", said Abraman Hawa, 26, from Ghana.
"We have sun... but it is not as hot. But I will pray to Allah at Arafat, because I need his support," she added.
The temperature was expected to hit 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, creating challenges for pilgrims who arrived at Mount Arafat after spending the night in a giant tented city in Mina, a valley outside Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun. Since men are prohibited from wearing hats, many carry umbrellas.
More than 10,000 heat-related illnesses were recorded last year, 10 percent of them heat stroke, a Saudi official told AFP this week.
Ahmad Karim Abdelsalam, a 33-year-old pilgrim from India, admitted that he found the prospect of passing hours on Mount Arafat "a little scary".
But with the help of an umbrella and water sprays, "God willing, everything will go well", he said.
