MAKKAH: Over 1.5 million Muslims began pouring into a vast tent city in the holy city of Makkah on Monday for an annual hajj pilgrimage carried out against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the war in the Middle East. The white-robed pilgrims on buses or on foot arrived at the sprawling encampment in Mina after performing the &quot;tawaf&quot;, walking seven times around the Kaaba. The start of the hajj came as US President Donald Trump continued to send mixed signals over a possible agreement to extend an uneasy ceasefire with Iran and a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This year&#39;s rites, drawing Muslim worshippers from across the world, including Iran, follow waves of Iranian attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors. Saudi officials have been keen to keep conflict far from the minds of visitors, many of whom have travelled long distances for one of the world&#39;s largest annual pilgrimages. Despite the uncertainty triggered by the conflict, Saudi officials noted over the weekend that more pilgrims had travelled from abroad to participate in this year&rsquo;s Hajj than in 2025. But, amid the spiritual euphoria experienced by the pilgrims in the days ahead of the hajj, authorities in the kingdom signaled their readiness. A video posted on social media by the Saudi defense ministry showed advanced air defense batteries positioned on the outskirts of Makkah. &quot;The air defense forces are responsible for protecting the skies over the holy sites and dealing with all aerial threats, ensuring the safety and peace of mind of the guests,&quot; read the post. Many pilgrims who spoke to AFP expressed their hope that peace would prevail soon. &quot;The war in Iran has affected the entire world. Nobody wants wars or harm to countries and peoples,&quot; said Mohammed Chahada, an Egyptian in his 50s, as he walked through a crowd exiting the Grand Mosque. RitualsThe hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. During the hajj, men wear a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasizes unity among believers regardless of their social status or nationality. Women must wear loose dresses that expose only their faces and hands. The first ritual of the hajj requires walking seven times around the Kaaba in Makkah&#39;s Grand Mosque. Pilgrims next walk seven times between the two hills of Safa and Marwa. They then move on to Mina, around five kilometers (three miles) away, ahead of the main rite of the pilgrimage at Mount Arafat. On Tuesday, the climax of the hajj is the gathering on Mount Arafat, about 10 kilometers from Mina, where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) delivered his final sermon. Despite the heat and the uncertainty over the war, pilgrims in Makkah were ecstatic. &quot;I have wanted to perform the pilgrimage my entire life, for 40 or 50 years,&quot; said Jreish Mohammed, a 68-year-old decked out in the traditional attire from his native Morocco. &quot;And this year, my dream came true.&quot;

Middle East

Over 1.5 million Muslims began pouring into a vast tent city in the holy city of Makkah on Monday for the annual hajj pilgrimage carried out against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the war in the Middle East.

Pilgrims kick off hajj as war's trajectory hangs in the balance

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host a quadrilateral meeting on March 30 (Monday), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, with the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as the four nations seek to de-escalate tensions between Iran and the US. Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office (FO) confirmed this development to Pakistan TV Digital on Saturday. Foreign Minister Dar, in a post on X on Saturday, stated: &quot;Looking forward to welcoming my brother Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, T&uuml;rkiye, and Egypt to Islamabad.&quot;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 873px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2037803935424241973&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=508bdc1df663a6cd45b8f63e44eed08fcf1b75e0&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>A press release issued by Pakistan&#39;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, stated: At the invitation of Foreign MinisterDar, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud; the Foreign Minister of Turkiye, Hakan Fidan; and the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Dr Badr Abdelatty, will visit Islamabad from 29&ndash;30 March 2026. During the visit, the foreign ministers will hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.&nbsp; The visiting dignitaries will also call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan highly values its relations with the brotherly countries of Saudi Arabia, T&uuml;rkiye, and Egypt, the press release said.&nbsp; The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan&rsquo;s cooperation and coordination with these countries across multifaceted areas of mutual interest, it said. Earlier, Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a televised address to the nation on Friday, said: &quot;On one hand, we are making every possible effort to safeguard our national interests and protect the public from the catastrophic surge in oil prices in global market, while on the other hand, we are working day and night on the diplomatic front for the establishment of peace.&quot; He added that to bring an end to the war, &ldquo;Pakistan is making full and sincere efforts at the diplomatic level to mediate, so that the region and the brotherly Islamic countries can be saved from this devastating war and its negative consequences, and to pave the path to lasting peace through collective consultation and wisdom.&quot; Sharif said, &quot;As Muslims, we all have the same longing for peace in our hearts. In this context, I have held detailed discussions several times with the leaders of Iran and the Gulf countries.&quot;

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan will host a quadrilateral meeting on March 30 (Monday), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, with the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as the four nations seek to de-escalate tensions between Iran and the US.

Articles tagged with "War in the Middle East"

Pilgrims kick off hajj as war's trajectory hangs in the balance

Pakistan to host quadrilateral meeting of foreign ministers on Iran war: FO

Pilgrims kick off hajj as war's trajectory hangs in the balance