Hajj 2024: Pilgrims Brave Deadly Heat in Symbolic Stoning Ritual

Muslim pilgrims concluded the Hajj pilgrimage amidst exhausting heat, performing the third day of the symbolic stoning of the devil. Many elderly pilgrims collapsed from the heat, and some deaths were reported. Pilgrims prayed for global crises before ending their journey with the Farewell Tawaf around the Kaaba.

Muslim pilgrims wrapped up the intense and heat-stricken 2024 Hajj on Tuesday, completing the third day of the symbolic stoning of the devil, followed by the final circumambulation around the Kaaba in Mecca, Islam's holiest site.

The arduous three-day stoning ritual in the Mina desert, outside of Mecca, symbolizes the rejection of evil and sin and is one of the closing rites of the pilgrimage. This year's Hajj coincided with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, marking the Prophet Ibrahim's test of faith.

Despite the grueling conditions, with temperatures soaring to 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit), 1.83 million Muslims, including over 1.6 million from 22 different countries, participated. Many elderly pilgrims required medical assistance due to the unrelenting heat, with dozens reported dead from sunstroke.

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