As millions gather for Hajj, they will circle the Kaaba, which is draped in the black cloth known as the kiswah – a sacred object shaped by centuries of faith, politics and power.
Articles on Hajj
Displaying 1 - 20 of 29 articles
Our bodies have hard limits as to how much heat and humidity we can tolerate. Lethal humid heat is a growing threat
Despite reports of mismanagement, the 2024 Hajj brought together pilgrims of diverse backgrounds from 180 countries.
Crowd accidents, particularly at religious mass gatherings in developing countries, are becoming a more common cause of premature death worldwide.
Hajj has grappled with public health and safety risks such as crowd crushes and infectious diseases in the past. It’s now facing an emerging risk: climate extremes.
A religion scholar argues that the communal nature of Islamic pilgrimage helps worshippers go through a physically demanding schedule and creates camaraderie that continues beyond the pilgrimage.
Millions of men, women and children are converging on Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage, a return to pre-pandemic numbers.
The Saudi government is using digital technology to help the hajj run smoothly and safely – the latest updates in a 200-year history of technology and the hajj.
The celebrated South African architect Sumayya Vally is the artistic director of the exhibition.
The start of the hajj is reigniting debates around its commercialization, but pilgrimages are also a time for seeking business opportunities, writes a scholar of Islam.
The pandemic has curtailed religious tourism for many. As the US opens up, perhaps Americans can find solace and healing in the age-old tradition of pilgrimage.
Millions of Muslims travel to Karbala in Iraq for one of the largest annual pilgrimages. The pilgrimage has adapted and changed over its centuries-old history.
As religious sites put pilgrimages on hold, a whole industry in travel, transport and accommodation takes a hit.
Muslims throughout the world will celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, beginning at sundown on July 30, but the coronavirus has changed many things.
Expanding pilgrimage is a key part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 – COVID-19 has put that on hold.
Sheep exported live for slaughter in the Middle East are routinely exposed to high temperatures.
Saudi Arabia is barring international visitors for the hajj. A scholar explains a long history of disease, politics and war that have previously prevented people from making the journey to Mecca.
As it has for many other people, the lockdown restrictions to deal with the spread of coronavirus is having a signficiant impact on the way Msulims practise their faith.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended pilgrimage to its holy sites. Many Muslims travel to these holy sites round the year for a pilgrimage known as Umrah. Here is what it means to their faith.
Despite the calls for a boycott, millions of Muslims will make the pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islamic practice.
Top contributors
-
Affiliate Researcher, Religion and Civic Culture Center, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Bayreuth University
-
Professor of the Anthropology of Islam, University of Leeds
-
Professor of Islamic Studies, Head of School, The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University
-
Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in Urban Risk and Resilience, The University of Melbourne
-
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Florida International University
-
Lecturer in Politics and International Studies, The Open University
-
Adjunct Lecturer in Ecology, The University of Western Australia
-
Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Michigan
-
Research Affiliate in Climate Adaptation, Monash University
-
Assistant Professor of Hospitality and Tourism, University of South Florida
-
Professor of Islamic Studies & Center for Middle East Studies Faculty Affiliate, University of Denver
-
Honorary Professor of Practice, Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL
-
Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, State University of New York at Oneonta
-
Professor of Political Science, Director of Center for Islamic & Arabic Studies, San Diego State University
-
Professor of Persuasive Language and Storytelling, SKEMA Business School