Saudi Arabia urges pilgrims to stay indoors during Hajj high point

High temperatures

Saudi Arabia’s authorities on Tuesday have asked pilgrims performing Hajj to remain in their tents for several hours during the high point of this week’s pilgrimage, citing high temperatures.

Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia Tawfiq al-Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Thursday on the Day of Arafat, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Al-Rabiah “explained that the high temperatures on the Day of Arafat require pilgrims to remain inside their camps from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. to protect their health and prevent any heat stress,” SPA said.

The Day of Arafat traditionally marks the high point of Hajj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Mecca.

There, pilgrims assemble on the 70-meter (230-foot) high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Quran recital, staying there until the evening.

There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the harsh desert sun for hours.

“We warn against climbing mountains or high places on the Day of Arafat, as it causes extreme physical exertion and increases the risk of heat exhaustion,” the health ministry said in a separate statement carried by SPA.

Temperatures this year are forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, gets under way on Wednesday.

Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s Hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit).

This year, authorities have mobilized more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024.

Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square meters (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, al-Rabiah told AFP last week.

As of Sunday, more than 1.4 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, officials said.