Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage to Mecca would begin on June 4 after astronomical observatories spotted the crescent moon, marking the start of the lunar month.
At a press conference on Monday, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, Saudi Arabia’s hajj minister, said that just over a million pilgrims from across the world had already arrived in the country.
Last year, 1.8 million Muslims took part in the hajj, according to official figures.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims who are able to.
The date of the pilgrimage is governed by the Islamic lunar calendar, meaning that it shifts each year. In recent years it has taken place during Saudi Arabia’s scorching summer months.
In 2024, temperatures peaked at 51.8 Celsius and more than 1,300 people died in the June sun, according to the authorities.
Worshippers take part in four days of ceremonies, with the high point coming on the second day with mass outdoor prayers on Mount Arafat, the hill where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.
This year, the event will fall on June 5, while Eid al-Adha will fall the following day, the Saudi press agency said.
