Muslim pilgrims flock to Mecca for first post-pandemic haj

Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand Mosque as Saudi Arabia welcomes back pilgrims for the 2022 haj season, after the kingdom barred foreign travellers over the last two years because of the coronavirus pandemic, in the holy city of Mec

A Muslim pilgrim cries next to the Station of Ibrahim "Maqam Ibrahim" in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia July 1, 2022.

Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia July 1, 2022.

Muslim pilgrims visit Mount Al-Noor, where Muslims believe Prophet Mohammad received the first words of the Koran through Gabriel in the Hira cave, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, July 4, 2022.

Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia July 1, 2022.

Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia July 1, 2022.

Muslim pilgrims visit Mount Al-Noor, where Muslims believe Prophet Mohammad received the first words of the Koran through Gabriel in the Hira cave, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, July 4, 2022.

Volunteer Abdulrahman al Maani distributes watermelon to pilgrims leaving for Mecca for Haj, in Maan, Jordan, June 28, 2022.