MAKKAH
\nThousands of Muslims began to leave the holy city of Makkah on Friday after having completed the Hajj pilgrimage in scorching heat and despite the shadow of war across the Middle East.
\nThis year, more than 1.7 million people from 165 countries took part in one of the world\u2019s largest religious gatherings, against the backdrop of the conflict sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
\nSince war erupted in February, Tehran has retaliated with waves of drone and missile strikes, hitting infrastructure and energy installations across the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia.
\nMore than 30,000 Iranians made the journey to Makkah, about a third of the 86,000 originally expected. Iran\u2019s IRNA state news agency said the \u201cwartime situation\u201d explained the drop.
\n\u201cI can\u2019t believe I completed the Hajj,\u201d said Ahmed Mamdouh, a 37-year-old Egyptian who performed the pilgrimage for the first time.
\nFighting back tears, he added: \u201cI am very happy that I completed the rituals safely. Hajj is truly exhausting, especially in such hot weather.\u201d
\nAlgerian pilgrim Al-Zaoui, 74, wrapped his arm around his wife and said, \u201cIt was our dream to perform the Hajj together. Now that dream has come true after 50 years of marriage.\u201d
\nOn Friday, the faithful will complete the third day of a stoning ritual in the valley of Mina, southeast of Makkah, during which they throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil.
\nThe pilgrims then board buses to the Grand Mosque in Makkah to perform the farewell \u201ctawaf\u201d \u2014 walking seven times around the Holy Kaaba, the giant black cube at the Grand Mosque that is the focal point of Islam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MAKKAH Thousands of Muslims began to leave the holy city of Makkah on Friday after having completed the Hajj pilgrimage in scorching heat and despite the shadow of war across the Middle East. This year, more than 1.7 million people from 165 countries took part in one of the world\u2019s largest religious gatherings, against the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-548550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n