Mecca

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims crowded Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat on Tuesday, the climax of a potentially record-breaking hajj pilgrimage held in fierce summer heat.

As dawn broke, groups of worshippers recited Koran verses on the rocky rise, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his final sermon.

At least 20 people died yesterday in Saudi Arabia in a bus accident, DPA reported.

The bus, which overturned and caught fire, was carrying passengers to the holy city of Mecca, including pilgrims on their way to perform Umrah, a minor Muslim pilgrimage.

Muslim pilgrims cast pebbles in the "stoning of the devil" ritual marking the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday on July 9, as this year's expanded hajj pilgrimage was winding down.

From first light, small groups of worshippers made their way across the valley of Mina, near Mecca in western Saudi Arabia, to throw stones at three concrete walls representing Satan.

Huge crowds of Muslim pilgrims prayed on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat on July 8, the high point of the biggest hajj pilgrimage since the pandemic forced drastic cuts in numbers for two years in a row.

Visiting the Ka'aba can be performed on the metaverse, but it will not be considered as a "real hajj," the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has said following a month-long discussion.

Saudi Arabia announced on June 12it will allow 60,000 residents vaccinated against COVID to perform this year's hajj, but Muslims from abroad will be barred for a second straight year.

The Saudi Arabian administration has decided to terminate the activities of 8 Turkish schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education operating in the capital Riyadh and other provinces at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year, according to information gathered by diplomatic sources on April 28. 

Muslims around the world began marking a sombre Eid al-Fitr on May 24, many under coronavirus lockdown, but lax restrictions offer respite to worshippers in some countries despite fears of skyrocketing infections.

From canceled iftar feasts to suspended mosque prayers, Muslims across the Middle East are bracing for a bleak month of Ramadan fasting as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic lingers.

Hundreds of Muslims returning to Turkey from the Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia were being housed in student dormitories on April 5 as part of quarantine measures against the novel coronavirus.
A total of 362 passengers went through health checks after arriving at Konya Airport.