(18 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mina, Saudi Arabia – 18 June 2024
1. Pilgrims arriving to the stoning site holding umbrellas
2. Woman on wheelchair being pushed by her husband
3. Saudi soldier spraying water on pilgrims to help them cool down
4-. Site of the symbolic stoning of the devil, which is done as part of the Hajj pilgrimage
5. Pilgrims arriving
6. Saudi soldiers at the stoning site
7. Various of pilgrims symbolically stoning the devil
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ayman Abdo, Egyptian pilgrim:
"Of course, one of the most important prayers was for our brothers in Palestine. It was one of the most important prayers that we were praying, that God would make them victorious over their enemy."
9. Pilgrims arriving at the stoning site
10. Various of pilgrims symbolically stoning the devil
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Amir Omar, Nigerian pilgrim:
"I am feeling very great that I perform my one pillar in my religion, Yes, I am feeling very grateful."
12. Pilgrims symbolically stoning the devil
13. Pilgrim filming on mobile phone
14. Tilt-down on the stoning site
STORYLINE:
Muslim pilgrims are wrapping up the Hajj, or pilgrimage, in the deadly summer heat on Tuesday with the third day of the symbolic stoning of the devil, and the last circumambulation around the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, in the city of Mecca.
The three-day stoning ritual in Mina, a desert site outside Mecca, is among the final rites of the Hajj, and symbolises the casting away of evil and sin.
It started a day after pilgrims congregated Saturday at a sacred hill, known as Mount Arafat.
The Hajj this year comes as the devastating Israel-Hamas war continues in the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian pilgrim Ayman Abdo said he prayed for the Palestinians during the Hajj, adding that "it was one of the most important prayers" for him.
The final days of the annual Hajj coincide with Muslims around the world celebrating the Eid al-Adha holiday.
"I am feeling very grateful," said Amir Omar, a Nigerian pilgrim who was happy he got to preform the Hajj pilgrimage.
The Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
Its rituals largely commemorate the accounts of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Ismail, Ismail’s mother Hajar and Prophet Muhammad, according to the Quran, Islam’s holy book.
In the Islamic version, God stayed his hand and Ismail was spared.
The burning sun and suffocating hot weather remained Tuesday, with temperatures, expected to reach 47 degrees Celsius (116.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in Mecca and the sacred sites in and around the city, according to the Saudi National Center for Metrology.
Many pilgrims, particularly elderly ones, were seen collapsed and in need of medical assistance because of the heat.
Dozens, including 14 from Jordan, were also reported dead.
All Muslims are required to make the Hajj once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so.
Many wealthy Muslims make the pilgrimage more than once.
More than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, including more than 1.6 million pilgrims from 22 countries, and around 222,000 Saudi citizens and residents, according to Saudi Hajj authorities.
AP video shot by Bassam Hatoum, Baraa Anwer and Rafeeq Maqbool
===========================================================
Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f448bc3353324764abdaf28a53b5e935
