Saudi Arabia: Hajj pilgrimage returning to pre-COVID levels

KIFI

Published January 9, 2023 10:28 PM

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will return to pre-pandemic levels this year after restrictions saw the annual religious commemoration curtailed over concerns about the coronavirus. That’s according to an announcement from the kingdom on Monday night. The hajj is required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life and represents one of the world’s largest gatherings of people. Before the pandemic, the pilgrimage drew millions each year to Islam’s holy city of Mecca, which is home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that observant Muslims pray toward five times a day.

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