Even as coronavirus cases rise steadily, the kingdom has announced the lifting of most Covid precautions as it prepares to receive roughly a million Muslim pilgrims.
Tag: Pilgrimages
At Least 12 Die in Stampede at a Hindu Shrine in Kashmir
Thousands of devotees were visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine to mark the beginning of the year.
On Spain’s Camino de Santiago, Even Óscar the Donkey Is a Pilgrim
An artist and an innkeeper have enlisted the help of a burro in their effort to rescue the traditions of Spain’s ancient pilgrimage route from mass tourism (and selfies).
Saudi Arabia Lifts a Ban on Foreign Pilgrims Heading to Mecca
Starting this week, pilgrims fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by certain vaccines from outside the kingdom can apply to join the umrah pilgrimage.
Inside a Peyote Pilgrimage
Drug tourists, mining companies and farming encroachment are threatening the Wixárika people’s annual hunt for the psychedelic plant in the Mexican desert.
Saudi Arabia Limits Hajj to 60,000 From Within the Country
The annual Muslim pilgrimage is scheduled to begin in mid-July, and attendees must be vaccinated and between 18 and 65 years old, the Saudi Press Agency said.
Tomb of Joshua, Revered Prophet, Beckons Believers in Baghdad
No one knows for certain if Joshua, the Old Testament prophet, actually lived or where he might be buried. But for over 1,000 years, the sick and faithful have visited a Baghdad tomb said to be his.
From Iraq, an Intimate Glimpse of the Religious Holiday of Arbaeen
Every year, millions of pilgrims descend on the central Iraqi city of Karbala to commemorate the Shiite holiday of Arbaeen, one of the largest organized gatherings in the world.
The Pilgrimage Must Go On: Senegal Holds Festival That Could Draw Millions
Pilgrims from across the West African country flocked to the holy city of Touba, where they slept, ate and prayed together for the Magal religious festival — despite coronavirus concerns.
Pilgrims, Fewer and Socially Distanced, Arrive in Mecca for Annual Hajj
The coronavirus pandemic has curtailed the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, limiting the number of people and barring people from outside the kingdom.