Pilgrims

'Heart-wrenching': Dozens of pilgrims killed in trailer crash in India

The trailer was carrying around 50 people, mostly women and children, when the incident happened in Kanpur in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Saudi welcomes first foreign Hajj pilgrims since before pandemic

A group from Indonesia landed in the city of Medina and was set to travel south to the holy city of Mecca in the coming weeks to prepare for the Hajj next month.

Why Native Americans aren't exactly thankful for Thanksgiving

For the diminished Native American population, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning while most Americans celebrate it as a day of joy.

Pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat in high point of this year's Hajj

Just 60,000 people, all citizens or residents of Saudi Arabia, have been selected to take part in this year's Hajj, with foreign pilgrims again barred due to the restrictions over coronavirus pandemic.

Scores dead after bus carrying pilgrims overturns in southwest Pakistan

At least 19 people were killed and 50 others injured after a speeding bus, with pilgrims returning from southern province of Sindh, overturned in Khuzdar, a district in Balochistan province.

Saudi Arabia may bar overseas Hajj pilgrims for second year

Before Covid-19 pandemic, some 2.5 million pilgrims would visit the holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for the week-long pilgrimage, which combined with the year-round Umrah pilgrimage, would earn the kingdom $12 billion a year.

Tens of thousands of Hindus dip into India's holy Ganges amid case spike

One of India's largest Hindu festivals, the Kumbh Mela or pitcher festival that runs until end April kicks off even as officials report the biggest surge in coronavirus cases for three months.

Qatar accuses Saudi Arabia of barring Hajj pilgrims

Qatar says it has become impossible to register for the annual religious event for its nationals under a quota system, adding a diplomatic dispute is not stopping Qataris from making the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Security still a major concern as pilgrims complete the hajj

As pilgrims complete the first of the three days of symbolically stoning the devil, security personnel keep watch over the crowd from a command and control centre located in Mina.

Hajj pilgrims perform 'stoning of the devil' ritual in Mina

Day one of the symbolic pelting of the devil, known as the Jamarat ritual, has gone off without a hitch.

Drones deployed to survey 2 million pilgrims during Hajj

The hajj reached its high point Sunday when Muslims from across the world converged on a stony hill in Saudi Arabia, a year after the worst tragedy in the pilgrimage's history.