Saudi Arabia expecting 1 million in largest hajj since virus

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims are converging on Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca for the largest hajj since the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed access to one of Islam’s five pillars.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow 1 million foreign and domestic Muslims to make the annual pilgrimage, which begins Thursday, marks a major step toward normalcy after two years of a drastically scaled-down hajj. That’s still far less than the 2.5 million pilgrims who traveled in 2019 for the pilgrimage.

After the coronavirus struck in 2020, Saudi authorities allowed just 1,000 pilgrims already residing in the kingdom to attend. The unprecedented curbs sent shock waves throughout the Muslim world.