All Muslims, who are financially and physically able, must perform the pilgrimage at least once in their lives.

Despite temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, pilgrims will perform rites in the Mina valley, mount Arafat and in Mecca.

In Islamic terminology, Hajj is a pilgrimage made to the Kaaba, the "House of God", in the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah (oath to Allah), Salat (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving) and Sawm (fasting of Ramadan).

The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah. The word Hajj means "to attend a journey", which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions.

This year, 1 million pilgrims will flock to the holy city, 85 percent of them traveling from abroad for the first time following a two-year hiatus brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. (ILKHA)