Shafaqna English– Muslim pilgrims prayed at Mount Arafat on Thursday (05 June 2025). Pilgrims began to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain.
While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, carrying colourful umbrellas, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and the Quran recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the Hajj.
After sunset, they will head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic “stoning of the devil”.
Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white dotted the mount itself, with many more at its foot praying.
Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday, when the desert sun is at its harshest. Fans spraying mist and providing cool air were dispersed at the foot of the mount.
Temperatures this year have already exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, kicked off earlier this week.
To make this year’s pilgrimage safer, authorities have expanded infrastructure, deployed thousands of extra personnel and relied on an arsenal of high-tech tools to help better manage crowds.
Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the Hajj Minister said.
Source: TRT Global