Saudi Arabia entered the most significant stage of the 2026 Hajj on 26 May as millions of pilgrims dressed in white gathered at Mount Arafat near Mecca and circled the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque.

Muslim worshippers gathered in Mecca for prayers on Friday in the final days before the start of the Hajj, one of the biggest gatherings in the Islamic calendar.

The numbers of pilgrims are expected to rise further over the next two days as they continue to arrive from abroad ahead of the formal rituals that mark the beginning of the hajj…