A Muslim pilgrim reacts as a volunteer sprays water to cool them outside the Grand Mosque during the annual hajj pilgrimage at the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 24, 2026.
Altaf Qadri/AP
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Altaf Qadri/AP
Muslims begin the annual Hajj against a backdrop of war concerns
More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related regional tensions.
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