The Bystander

the annual Hajj

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is prepared for the largest Islamic gathering in history as the hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives. Friday, enormous crowds of worshippers thronged Mecca, Islam's holiest city, for the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years, with more than two million expected to brave the scorching Saudi Arabian heat as summer temperatures are expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit). Pilgrims in white robes and sandals packed the ancient city, now dotted with luxury hotels and air-conditioned shopping malls, after flooding in on planes, buses and trains. Could break attendance records, officials said. More than 32,000 health workers will be on hand to help fend off heatstroke, dehydration and exhaustion. Rites include seven times circling the Kaaba, the large black cube in Mecca's Grand Mosque, praying on Mount Arafat where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon, and throwing pebbles at three giant concrete walls representing Satan. Some 24,000 buses will be used to ferry the pilgrims, and 17 trains capable of moving 72,000 people every hour, officials said. Hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige and a source of political legitimacy for Saudi rulers, the custodians of the holy sites. The hajj and year-round umrah rituals generate an estimated $12 billion annually.