At least six Jordanian pilgrims have died of heatstroke while on the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday, amid growing concern over the risks that rising temperatures pose to one of the largest gatherings in the world.
Temperatures in Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest site, reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, according to the National Center for Meteorology. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry later updated the toll to 14, though it was not immediately clear whether the additional deaths were also heat-related.
More than 2,700 cases of heat stress and sunstroke among pilgrims were reported, Mohammed Al-Abdulaali, a spokesman for the Saudi Health Ministry, said Monday, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and at least one pilgrimage in a lifetime is considered an obligation for all Muslims who are able-bodied and have the financial means. Most rituals are outdoors, including walking in circles around the cube-shaped Kaaba, the most sacred Islamic site, saying prayers facing it and tracing the footsteps of the prophet Muhammad atop the Mount of Mercy.
This year’s Hajj is being attended by 1.8 million people from around the world, local authorities have said. The pilgrimage began on Friday and is set to culminate Wednesday. Islam follows the lunar calendar, with 354 days, so Hajj shifts by 10 or 11 days every year on the Gregorian calendar.
Increasing heat and humidity due to climate change in parts of Saudi Arabia where the Hajj takes place could make the pilgrimage dangerous for some, a study published in 2019 said. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles said the risks could be serious when Hajj occurs during the hottest summer months — from 2047 to 2052 and from 2079 to 2086.
Temperatures in Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest site, reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, according to the National Center for Meteorology. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry later updated the toll to 14, though it was not immediately clear whether the additional deaths were also heat-related.
More than 2,700 cases of heat stress and sunstroke among pilgrims were reported, Mohammed Al-Abdulaali, a spokesman for the Saudi Health Ministry, said Monday, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and at least one pilgrimage in a lifetime is considered an obligation for all Muslims who are able-bodied and have the financial means. Most rituals are outdoors, including walking in circles around the cube-shaped Kaaba, the most sacred Islamic site, saying prayers facing it and tracing the footsteps of the prophet Muhammad atop the Mount of Mercy.
This year’s Hajj is being attended by 1.8 million people from around the world, local authorities have said. The pilgrimage began on Friday and is set to culminate Wednesday. Islam follows the lunar calendar, with 354 days, so Hajj shifts by 10 or 11 days every year on the Gregorian calendar.
Increasing heat and humidity due to climate change in parts of Saudi Arabia where the Hajj takes place could make the pilgrimage dangerous for some, a study published in 2019 said. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles said the risks could be serious when Hajj occurs during the hottest summer months — from 2047 to 2052 and from 2079 to 2086.
