(Mina) More than 1.8 million Muslims performed the last major ritual of the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, near Mecca (west), under oppressive heat, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, a major holiday of Islam.
Severe heat caused the death of at least 14 Jordanian pilgrims, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday, adding that 17 others were missing. In Iran, the head of the Red Crescent for his part indicated that five Iranian pilgrims had “lost their lives […] in Mecca and Medina”, without immediately specifying the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Sunday marked the ritual of the stoning of Satan for which, from dawn, the faithful arrived in waves in the Mina valley in front of steles symbolizing the devil, on which they threw stones.
It is a ritual that they will repeat at least once in the coming days before making the final convolutions around the Kaaba, in the center of the Great Mosque, marking the end of the hajj.
The stoning ritual takes place on the first day of Eid al-Adha, a holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world.
In the height of summer, in one of the hottest regions in the world, temperatures exceeded 40 degrees at midday on Sunday. Pilgrims were seen collapsed on the side of the road leading to the steles in Mina, sheltered by rare buildings and cars.
“It’s very difficult, we can’t find transport, I can’t get up anymore,” said Ahmed Alsayed Omran, a 70-year-old Egyptian retiree, sitting on the sidewalk.
The authorities have not communicated on the number of cases of hyperthermia this year. More than 10,000 cases were recorded last year, including 10% heatstroke, the most serious case, according to a Saudi official.
“The whole experience was physically exhausting,” said Neron Khan, a 49-year-old from Canada, saying she was on the verge of exhaustion herself at one point.
“But very spiritually charged,” she added. “To see so many different people […] coming here for the same goal is just phenomenal.”
On Saturday, pilgrims spent the day praying and reciting the Koran at Mount Arafat, where temperatures reached 46 degrees Celsius, before sleeping under the stars in the Mouzdalifa plain, a few kilometers from Mina.
Despite the high temperatures, the gathering around the hill where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his last sermon, the highlight of the pilgrimage, was held with great fervor.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It must be performed by all Muslims at least once in their life if they have the means.
On the occasion of Eid, Muslims slaughter an animal, usually a sheep, and offer part of the meat to the needy, in memory of the sacrifice that Abraham almost made by wanting to immolate his son before the angel. Gabriel only offers him at the last minute to kill a sheep in his place, according to tradition.
However, the celebrations are overshadowed this year by the war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“We don’t feel Eid because our brothers in Gaza are oppressed under the [Israeli] occupation,” said Najem Nawwar, a 43-year-old Egyptian pilgrim.
Saudi King Salman brought 2,000 Palestinians to the hajj at his own expense, half of whom are family members of Gaza victims who have taken refuge abroad.
The authorities have warned that no political slogans will be tolerated during the hajj.
But that did not prevent many pilgrims from expressing their solidarity with the Palestinians to AFP.
“We pray for them… and for the liberation of Palestine, so that we have two holidays instead of one,” said Wadih Ali Khalifah, a 32-year-old Saudi.