Those pilgrims who arrived in Makkah on Thursday performed Tawaf Al-Qudum (Tawaf of Arrival), one of the obligatory rituals of Hajj, before heading for the vast sprawling tent city of Mina.

and then converged on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert, officially opening the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Monday, returning to its full capacity for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.