The hajj, Islam′s annual pilgrimage to Mecca, begins | All media content | DW | 09.08.2019

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The hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, begins

Every year, around 2 million Muslims from around the world make a journey to Mecca, a holy city Saudi Arabia for a five-day pilgrimage in what's thought to be the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad.

  • The Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the 2019 hajj

    Destination Mecca

    On Friday, around 2 million Islamic pilgrims are expected in Mecca, a holy city in Saudi Arabia, for the start of the annual hajj pilgrimage. Over five days, the faithful follow a path that is said to have been taken by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad around 1,400 years ago. Muslims always try to pray while facing toward the Kaaba — the square shrine seen here — wherever they are in the world.

  • Pilgrims circle the Kaaba in Mecca

    The heart of Islam

    On Friday, thousands of pilgrims circled the Kaaba counterclockwise seven times. It is Islam's holiest shrine. Pilgrims also tilt their hearts toward the cube-shaped structure as part of the ritual.

  • Muslims pray at the Grand Mosque in Mecca

    A truly global event

    The hajj is one of the most diverse gatherings in the world. Several hundred thousands of the more than 2 million pilgrims are from Saudi Arabia. To avoid any risk to safety, Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims not to discuss politics or divisive issues and to focus on worship.

  • Most hajjis will spend Friday night at this tent city in Mina

    A tent city for the faithful

    Most making the hajj will spend Friday night at this tent city in Mina, which can house 2.6 million in total. On Saturday, they will leave for Mount Arafat, around 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) east of Mecca. Wealthier hajjis stay in lavish hotels overlooking the Kaaba. But most people stay in simple accommodations; some even sleep on the ground.

  • Men pray ahead of the hajj in Saudi Arabia

    Freedom from status and sin

    For Muslims around the world, the hajj is meant to be a unifying event and pilgrims shed displays of wealth and materialism. Male pilgrims wear simple white clothes. Women go without makeup, nail polish and perfume. The hajj is seen as an opportunity to strengthen faith and absolve sins. All hajjis, regardless of their backgrounds, perform the same rituals.

  • Pilgrims walking in the sunset during the hajj

    Once in a lifetime

    As one of the five pillars of Islam, all Muslims are expected to make the hajj once in their lifetime, if they have the physical and financial means. Last year, 2.4 million people took part in the hajj, and a similar turnout is expected for 2019. This year, Saudi King Salman invited 200 survivors and relatives of the mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 people.


  • The Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the 2019 hajj

    Destination Mecca

    On Friday, around 2 million Islamic pilgrims are expected in Mecca, a holy city in Saudi Arabia, for the start of the annual hajj pilgrimage. Over five days, the faithful follow a path that is said to have been taken by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad around 1,400 years ago. Muslims always try to pray while facing toward the Kaaba — the square shrine seen here — wherever they are in the world.

  • Pilgrims circle the Kaaba in Mecca

    The heart of Islam

    On Friday, thousands of pilgrims circled the Kaaba counterclockwise seven times. It is Islam's holiest shrine. Pilgrims also tilt their hearts toward the cube-shaped structure as part of the ritual.

  • Muslims pray at the Grand Mosque in Mecca

    A truly global event

    The hajj is one of the most diverse gatherings in the world. Several hundred thousands of the more than 2 million pilgrims are from Saudi Arabia. To avoid any risk to safety, Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims not to discuss politics or divisive issues and to focus on worship.

  • Most hajjis will spend Friday night at this tent city in Mina

    A tent city for the faithful

    Most making the hajj will spend Friday night at this tent city in Mina, which can house 2.6 million in total. On Saturday, they will leave for Mount Arafat, around 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) east of Mecca. Wealthier hajjis stay in lavish hotels overlooking the Kaaba. But most people stay in simple accommodations; some even sleep on the ground.

  • Men pray ahead of the hajj in Saudi Arabia

    Freedom from status and sin

    For Muslims around the world, the hajj is meant to be a unifying event and pilgrims shed displays of wealth and materialism. Male pilgrims wear simple white clothes. Women go without makeup, nail polish and perfume. The hajj is seen as an opportunity to strengthen faith and absolve sins. All hajjis, regardless of their backgrounds, perform the same rituals.

  • Pilgrims walking in the sunset during the hajj

    Once in a lifetime

    As one of the five pillars of Islam, all Muslims are expected to make the hajj once in their lifetime, if they have the physical and financial means. Last year, 2.4 million people took part in the hajj, and a similar turnout is expected for 2019. This year, Saudi King Salman invited 200 survivors and relatives of the mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 people.


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