Muslim pilgrims try to touch the door of the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, as they perform the farewell circumambulation called Tawaf al-Wada at the Grand Mosque during the final rites of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
MECCA (AP) — Muslim pilgrims have concluded the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Saturday by circling around the holy site of the black cube-shaped Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
This year, over 1.5 million Muslim pilgrims undertook the Hajj pilgrimage in temperatures that sometimes exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able.
This year’s Hajj pilgrimage took place as heightened regional tensions linked to the war involving Iran cast a shadow over the gathering at Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia.
Muslim pilgrims perform the farewell circumambulation called Tawaf al-Wada, around the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, at the Grand Mosque during the final rites of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims pray after casting pebbles at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil on the second day of the ritual, one of the final rites of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mina near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims leave after casting pebbles at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual Hajj, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims shave each other’s heads, during a ritual known as “halq,” marking the completion of Hajj after the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims cast pebbles at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual Hajj, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims walk on their way to cast pebbles at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual Hajj, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam’s holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A cat is seen in the foreground as Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)s pray in front of the rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims hold umbrellas as they leave after offering noon prayers at Namirah mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage on the Plain of Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims touch the walls of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims arrive at the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims pray in front of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A Muslim pilgrim on a wheelchair circumambulates the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims arrive at the Grand Mosque for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims pray afternoon prayers on a street outside the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Workers clean a street outside the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims prostrate as they offer evening prayers around the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site in the holy city of Mecca during the annual hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A Muslim pilgrim prays in front of the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site in the holy city of Mecca during the annual hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A worker is silhouetted as he cleans a speaker outside the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
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