Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in Hajj today

Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in Hajj today

Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day.

Thousands of pilgrims began to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.

While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, carrying colourful umbrellas, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and Koran recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the hajj.

After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic “stoning of the devil”.

“This is something that I used to see every year on the TV screen during hajj and I always thought: ‘I wish I could be here’,” said 33-year-old Ali from Pakistan, one of 1.5 million pilgrims who had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage.

“I’ve been trying to get here… for the past 3 years,” he added as he gazed at the mount. “I feel very blessed.”

Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white dotted the mount itself, with many more at its foot praying or taking pictures.

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Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday, when the desert sun is at its harshest.

Fans spraying mist and providing cool air were dispersed at the foot of the mount.

Temperatures this year have already exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, kicked off earlier this week

Officials have beefed up heat mitigation efforts aiming to avoid a repeat of last year’s hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8C.

Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in Hajj today