Muslim pilgrims touch the walls of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Muslims from around the world gather in Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, as heightened regional tensions linked to the war involving Iran cast a shadow over this year’s gathering at Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia.
Muslim pilgrims arrive at the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims pray in front of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims pray around the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, at the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A Muslim pilgrim on a wheelchair circumambulates the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims arrive at the Grand Mosque for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Members of the Saudi special forces perform during a military parade in preparation for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Workers clean a street outside the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Muslim pilgrims pray afternoon prayers on a street outside the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)A worker is silhouetted as he cleans a speaker outside the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
