In 2019, nearly 2.5 million Muslims performed Hajj before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted religious and other gatherings the world over and took its toll on the Islamic pilgrimage.

The hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims physically and financially able to make the journey, which takes the faithful along a path traversed by the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago.

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The Hajj occurs once a year during the lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. This year, the Hajj will start on June 4.

The specific steps of Hajj are the same as the ones carried out by the Prophet Mohammad in 632 A.D. in what is known as his “farewell pilgrimage.” But the Kaaba was a sacred site before Islam.

Hajj pilgrimage begins in Saudi Arabia, with capacity crowd of 2 million expected Iranian pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba.

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi photographed Mecca, one of Islam's holiest cities, from the International Space Station during the annual pilgrimage, or Hajj.

At its peak in 2012, the hajj included 3.16 million pilgrims. But even at a rate of 3 million people per hajj, it would be impossible for all the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims to perform the ...

Hajj travel packages range from $10,000 to $15,000 per person. “ I hope that this is an issue that can be solved,” says Basyouni. “It's one of the pillars of [our] religion. It's very hard.