More than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage, surpassing last year’s numbers despite Middle East conflicts and travel disruption [1, 2, 3, 4]. The pilgrimage officially began on May 24 or 25 in Mecca, with peak rituals on May 26 at Mount Arafat and concluding on May 27 in Mina with the symbolic stoning of the devil [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 4].
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is required at least once for all able Muslims who can afford the journey [1, 5, 6, 2, 7, 3]. This year’s pilgrimage takes place amid fragile ceasefire conditions since April 8 between US/Israel and Iran. The tensions have included missile and drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia and Gulf neighbors [1, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Despite this, Saudi Arabia has deployed extensive safety, air defense, and crowd control measures to protect pilgrims [1, 9].
Temperatures during the pilgrimage have soared to between 45 and 47 degrees Celsius. Authorities have carried out heat mitigation efforts including air-conditioned rest areas, fans, mist sprayers, shaded zones, and distribution of ice cream and free water to help pilgrims cope [1, 10, 7, 3, 4]. Egyptian pilgrim Inas Gamal said, "It's very hot, much hotter than I imagined... I had planned to perform all my prayers at the Grand Mosque, but I couldn’t go down for the prayers held during the day" [10].
More than 30,000 Iranian pilgrims have taken part, about one-third of the 86,000 expected. This reduction is linked to ongoing wartime conditions despite Saudi-Iran relations being restored in a 2023 China-brokered deal allowing Iranian pilgrims to return after several years [5, 6, 7]. Saudi foreign policy expert Umer Karim noted, "Saudi Arabia and Iran have kept their political engagement open" despite the war [5].
Five Malaysians were arrested for attempting to enter Mecca without permits through illegal routes. Saudi authorities have penalized others for similar violations, strictly enforcing Hajj regulations [11, 12].
Numbers of pilgrims vary by source, with some estimating over 1.6 million have arrived and others projecting more than 1.7 million participants this year [8, 9]. On May 22, a Saudi official announced 1,518,153 foreign pilgrims had arrived with numbers expected to rise [2].
Egyptian pilgrim Mohammed Chahada commented, "The war in Iran has affected the entire world. Nobody wants wars or harm to countries and peoples" [1]. German pilgrim Fatima said, "There was no second thought about coming to Mecca. We know we are at the safest place in the world" [5].
The pilgrimage will continue through May 27 with final rituals in Mina, after which pilgrims will begin their return home.
