The annual Hajj pilgrimage officially began on Monday, May 25, as more than 1.5 million Muslims from around the world arrived in Saudi Arabia for one of Islam's most sacred observances. Pilgrims have been performing the ritual circumambulation of the cube-shaped Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca — Islam's holiest city, located in western Saudi Arabia — in sweltering heat, with volunteers distributing water bottles and large fans spraying mists of cool water to help the faithful endure the conditions. On Monday, pilgrims began moving toward Mina, a vast tent city in the nearby desert, where they will spend the night in accordance with prophetic tradition. The spiritual pinnacle of the pilgrimage will come on Tuesday, when millions gather on the plain of Arafat to pray, seek forgiveness, and make supplications.

This year's Hajj takes place against an unusually turbulent geopolitical backdrop. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 triggered retaliatory Iranian attacks — including strikes on Saudi Arabia — and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a significant share of the world's oil flows. A fragile ceasefire was reached in April, and on Saturday U.S. President Donald Trump said a broader peace deal had been "largely negotiated," describing it as a "Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE" still requiring final signatures. A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place in the meantime, and the resulting energy price spikes have jolted the global economy.

Despite early anxieties, the geopolitical turbulence has done little to deter pilgrims. Travel agencies specialising in Hajj packages report that booking levels have held firm — and in some cases increased. "In Saudi Arabia, they do not speak of war and do not contemplate any cancellation around Hajj," one Paris-based agency director told RFI after accompanying his last group of pilgrims to the airport. Saudi authorities, for their part, announced full readiness to manage the flow of pilgrims across the holy sites, with comprehensive logistical, service, and health plans in place.

For many pilgrims, the journey carries deep personal significance that transcends political circumstances. Egyptian pilgrim Samya Abdul Moneim expressed the feeling shared by many upon arriving in Mecca. "I am in a state of blessing and happiness," she said. "It's an indescribable feeling, truly." Some pilgrims have described leaning on their faith precisely because of the regional tensions, framing the trip as an act of devotion in difficult times. Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, emphasised contingency planning ahead of the season, while in India higher fuel prices pushed up travel costs for pilgrims, though planning otherwise proceeded normally.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is obligatory at least once in a lifetime for every Muslim who is physically and financially able to undertake it. The pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on Friday, May 29. Beyond its religious dimension, Hajj is one of the largest annual human gatherings on earth, drawing Muslims of vastly different races, languages, and economic backgrounds into a shared experience of worship — a quality that many participants describe as uniquely powerful, and that organisers and pilgrims alike appear determined to preserve regardless of the world's troubles.