
A picture taken on July 4, 2022 shows a general view of the Kaaba (C) at the Grand Mosque, in the holy city of Mecca as Saudi Arabia hosts some one million people, including 850,000 from abroad, for the hajj pilgrimage, a key pillar of Islam that all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform at least once in a lifetime. AFP

Muslim worshippers gather before the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia s holy city of Mecca on July 1, 2022. AFP

Muslim worshippers gather before the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia s holy city of Mecca on July 1, 2022. AFP

Muslim worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia s holy city of Mecca on July 1, 2022. AFP

Muslim worshippers gather before the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia s holy city of Mecca on July 1, 2022. AFP

A Muslim worshipper reads from the holy Koran at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia s holy city of Mecca on July 1, 2022. AFP

Muslim worshippers gather before the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia s holy city of Mecca on July 1, 2022. AFP

Muslim worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia s holy city of Mecca on July 1, 2022. AFP

A handout picture released by Iraq s Prime Minister s Media Office on June 26, 2022. AFP

A Muslim pilgrim walks in front of a welcoming banner upon his arrival at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, July 1, 2022. AFP