More than 1,300 people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage as the faithful faced soaring temperatures at Islamic holy sites in Saudi Arabia.

Muslim pilgrims have been streaming into Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca for the Hajj, as the annual pilgrimage returns to its monumental scale.

For the first time in over a decade, 270 Syrians have traveled on a direct flight from Damascus to Saudi Arabia for the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, according to the Syrian Transportation Ministry.

The Hajj pilgrimage has officially started in Saudi Arabia.

Over 1.8 million Muslims are making the Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi officials say close to 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in the country so far for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will return to pre-pandemic levels this year after restrictions saw the annual religious commemoration curtailed over concerns about the coronavirus.

Mohammed Salem traveled to the middle east to visit the Kaaba, a sacred building in Mecca when an argument in line led to his arrest, and now Local 4 has learned that he’s been moved to a higher-security prison.

A Melvindale man was arrested during a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia after he lost his temper while waiting in line at the holy site in Kaaba.

A million pilgrims from across the globe are gathering in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the initial rites of the hajj.

Muslim pilgrims are converging on Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca for the largest hajj since the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed access to one of Islam’s five pillars.

Tens of thousands of vaccinated Muslim pilgrims are circling Islam’s holiest site in Mecca for the start of the hajj.

Muslims in many parts of the world are marking the start of Ramadan as coronavirus cases spike in some countries.

But as nations begin to ease those restrictions, the Saudi government on Sunday started allowing a maximum of 6,000 pilgrims a day to enter the sprawling Grand Mosque in Mecca. Muslim travelers from outside Saudi Arabia could be allowed to perform the umrah pilgrimage as early as Nov. 1, the Interior Ministry has said. Saudi Arabia recently began easing some restrictions on international flights for the first time since March. Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal and all were residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. Despite taking early and sweeping measures to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded nearly 336,000 cases, including 4,850 deaths.

FILE - In this May 25, 2019 file photo, Muslim worshippers circumambulate the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the minor pilgrimage, known as Umrah in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslim travelers from outside Saudi Arabia could be allowed to perform the “umrah” pilgrimage as early as Nov. 1, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Saudi Arabia recently began easing some restrictions on international flights for the first time since March. Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal and all were residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. Despite taking early and sweeping measures to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 330,000 cases, including more than 4,500 deaths.

Hundreds of Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, as they keep social destination to protect themselves against the coronavirus ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. During the first rites of hajj, Muslims circle the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times while reciting supplications to God, then walk between two hills where Ibrahim's wife, Hagar, is believed to have run as she searched for water for her dying son before God brought forth a well that runs to this day.

(AP Photo)For Marwa Conelly, the upcoming Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday was supposed to be extra celebratory this year she was looking forward to getting engaged around that time. In Egypt, where the Conellys live, the first day of Eid will be on Friday. Normally the family has a festive but laid-back routine for the first day of Eid. Hospitalized and under quarantine, Mohamed was unable to say goodbye or attend his burial, shortly before the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. She has asked someone close to her to pray with her that the virus is gone by next year.

The hajj, both physically and spiritually demanding, is intended to bring about greater humility and unity among Muslims. Ammar Khaled, a 29-year-old Indian pilgrim who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, said although he's alone on the hajj, he's praying for those he loves. Instead, as few as 1,000 people already residing in Saudi Arabia were selected to take part in the hajj this year. Two-thirds are foreign residents from among the 160 different nationalities that would have normally been represented at the hajj. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia needs to put these measures in place so we can learn from this experience, said Saudi infectious disease expert and World Health Organization official, Dr. Hanan Balkhy.

(AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)DUBAI Muslims around the world hoping for a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Mecca to perform the hajj will have to wait until next year, after Saudi Arabia drastically curtailed the pilgrimage due to the coronavirus pandemic. The hajj typically draws 2.5 million people from inside Saudi Arabia and around the world. Instead, Pakistan said its diplomats already in Saudi Arabia will represent the country during the pilgrimage this year, which begins at the end of July. Still, Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of infection in the Middle East, with more than 161,000 confirmed cases so far, including 1,307 deaths. In 1987, Saudi security forces killed more than 400 people, mostly Shiite Muslims, in a clash sparked by Iranian pilgrims protesting during the hajj.

(AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)DUBAI Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that because of the coronavirus only very limited numbers of people will be allowed to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage that traditionally draws around 2 million people from around the world. Saudi Arabia said its decision to drastically limit the number of pilgrims was made due to the lack of an available vaccine for the virus or a cure for those infected, as well as the risks associated with large gatherings of people. All able-bodied Muslims are required to perform the hajj pilgrimage once in their lifetime. Saudi Arabia had already suspended the smaller year-round umrah pilgrimage earlier this year and closed the Grand Mosque in Mecca, home to Islam's holiest site, to the public. Although Saudi Arabia has lifted some restrictions in recent days around the country, the umrah continues to be suspended and its borders remain shut to visitors and tourists.