Pilgrims pray on Mount Arafat as hajj reaches peak

AFP

26 May 2026 13:00 PM

Huge numbers of Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat on Tuesday at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage, as a punishing desert sun sent temperatures soaring towards 40C.

From daybreak, thousands of white-robed worshippers recited Quranic verses on the 70-metre (230 feet) rocky hill near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his last sermon.

More than 1.5 million people have joined the hajj this year despite the shadow of war across the Middle East created by the US and Israeli war with Iran.