News
Millions gather at Mount Arafat as hajj reaches peak
Huge numbers of Muslim pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat on Tuesday as the annual hajj pilgrimage reached its spiritual climax under intense desert heat nearing 40 degrees Celsius.
From the early hours of the morning, thousands of worshippers dressed in white robes filled the plains and rocky hill near Mecca, reciting verses from the Quran and offering prayers in one of Islam’s most sacred rites.
Mount Arafat, a 70-metre rocky hill, holds deep religious significance as the site where Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
More than 1.5 million pilgrims are participating in this year’s hajj despite growing tensions across the Middle East following the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
During the fighting, Tehran retaliated with waves of drone and ballistic missile strikes, hitting major infrastructure and energy installations across the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia.
More than 30,000 Iranians have made the journey, about a third of the 86,000 originally expected. Iran’s IRNA state news agency said the “wartime situation” explained the drop.
Despite the war, Saudi officials said over the weekend that more pilgrims had travelled from abroad this year than in 2025.
The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means to do so.
With temperatures hitting 44 degrees in Mecca in recent days, Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun during the mostly outdoor rituals, which can take five days or more to complete.
Since men are prohibited from wearing hats, many carry umbrellas to try to keep the blistering sun at bay.
After Mount Arafat, pilgrims will spend the night in Muzdalifah, where they will collect pebbles for the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina, starting on Wednesday.
The hajj is said to follow the path of the Prophet Mohammed’s final pilgrimage, about 1,400 years ago.
It has long been an important source of legitimacy for the Al Saud dynasty, whose monarch has the title “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques”, in Mecca and Medina.
Follow Us on Google Discover
2027: Kwankwaso a goat in sheep’s clothing, secretly working for Tinubu – Atiku Campaign Council
DSS arrests Maina’s fugitive son in Abuja, hands him over to EFCC
2027: Step down if you are not working for Tinubu – Deji Adeyanju dares Obi, Kwankwaso
2027: ‘I wont join my Uncle to support Tinubu’ – Davido says
Enugu NYSC death: NAFDAC debunks claims linking corps members death to fake drugs
33 Governors cannot be wrong in supporting Tinubu – Bayo Onanuga
Security forces arrest five suspects over abduction of 20 NYSC members in Imo
Rugby star Hyron Andrews dies at 31 after accidental fall in South Africa
LAUTECH Resident Doctors halt 50-day strike as Makinde intervenes
House Officers, Nurses, Radiographers, Others wanted as DELSUTH opens recruitment – Apply Now
FG raises health fund allocation to N40.76bn, extends insurance to prison inmates
Erisco Foods announces 13 job openings across Nigeria – Apply Now
Tinubu reappoints Bala Bila as INEC commissioner, nominates six others
2027: ‘Don’t trust your destiny to ‘kalokalo’ people’ – Wike warns Rivers voters against Atiku, Amaechi, Obi
BREAKING: Cross River PDP Chairman Venatius Ikem resigns, cites leadership crisis
Erisco Foods announces 13 job openings across Nigeria – Apply Now
Ex-Senator Bello Mandiya’s body found in Abuja home three days after he slipped, hit his head in the bathroom
2027: Atiku, Obi, Makinde, Adebayo, Duke hold talks with six opposition parties
‘You Betrayed Osun People’ — Adeleke, Davido face backlash over support for Tinubu
Tinubu reappoints Bala Bila as INEC commissioner, nominates six others
JUST IN: Finnish Appeal Court reduces Simon Ekpa’s jail term to four years, upholds terrorism conviction
Over 10 soldiers, four civilians feared dead as Boko Haram terrorists attack Borno military base
Zamfara govt set to empower 36,176 residents with Dangote shares
Umahi reopens first Niger bridge after emergency repairs, displays Tinubu’s photos
‘I love Islam, I’ve sent people to Mecca to pray for me, Nigeria for 25 years’ – Akpabio
Lagos govt announces 3-day traffic diversion on Independence bridge for emergency repairs
Elon Musk unveils Tesla’s ‘flying’ car in stunning demonstration
‘Local champion’ – Donald Duke takes fresh swipe at Gov Diri over Lagos-Calabar coastal highway
Panic in Rivers community as pipeline explosion injures 20, razes over 50 houses
