Saudi Arabia prepares for the "worst case scenario" during the hot Hajj.

Muslim worshippers gather for prayers around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on June 2, 2025 ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.AFP

 

 Saudi Arabia prepares for the "worst case scenario" during the hot Hajj.

As Muslim pilgrims start their hajj this week in the searing summer heat, Saudi hospital workers near a large tent city west of Mecca are bracing for a surge of heat-related cases.

More than 1,300 people perished in the desert heat in 2024 during the yearly pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam, and the Mina Emergency Hospital is one of 15 such facilities that are open for business for only a few weeks each year.

Saudi officials are trying to prevent a deadly recurrence of the pilgrimage that occurred last year, when temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit).

As one of the world's largest annual religious meetings, which brings together devotees from all over the world, officially begins on Wednesday, temperatures are expected to surpass 40 degrees Celsius this year.

44 cases of heat exhaustion have been reported to authorities thus far.

Because the hajj falls during periods of intense heat, "the focus is on heat-related diseases," Saudi Arabia's deputy minister for population health, Abdullah Asiri, told AFP at the Mina hospital.

According to Asiri, the hospital, which is bursting with employees but has not seen any patients yet, is a part of the kingdom's preparations for "the worst case scenario" when pilgrims arrive on Mina.

Pilgrims are already beginning to arrive in Mecca in spite of the intense heat.

According to officials, about 1.4 million pilgrims had in Saudi Arabia as of Sunday for the multi-day journey.

Saudi official television claims that Mecca's Grand Mosque has the world's largest cooling system, with gigantic fans and cooled pavements scattered around the colossal edifice.

But it can be difficult to hide from the heat outside.

Enhanced capability

While some pilgrims carry umbrellas or wear caps, others walk barefoot in the sun, like 70-year-old Palestinian Rabah Mansour, who said that "heat does not bother me" after working outside as a farmer for a lifetime.

He remarked, "I have been working in the fields since I was a child," while perspiration ran down his cheeks.

Asiri cautioned followers against needlessly subjecting themselves to severe circumstances, even though many pilgrims may be overtaken with religious fervor.

Another Palestinian pilgrim named Badr Shreiteh told AFP that he thought going through such hardships on the Hajj road would make him receive more benefits.

He concluded by saying, "As you can see, we are dripping with sweat." "The more difficulty we endure, the more benefit we earn," he added.

A total of 50, medical professionals and administrative personnel have been mobilized for the hajj, which is significantly more than in past years, according to Asiri of the health ministry.

In order to treat severe cases of heat diseases, more than 700 hospital beds with fans are prepared.

Asiri stated, "Capacity this year has been raised by more than 60 percent compared to previous year," anticipating a higher patient volume.

He stated, "That is why we are doing all of these things."

The health ministry reports that 2,764 pilgrims were treated by medical personnel for heat exhaustion and other heat-related ailments last year.

71 emergency medical locations ha

Authorities constructed cooled walkways, such as the recently finished four-kilometer (2.5-mile) Arafat trail.

The deaths from the Hajj last year were a well-known illustration of the devastation caused by the 2024 heat wave, which the Copernicus Climate Change Service claimed was the hottest on record.

There is "severe heat, but there are also moments that we are inside the (Grand mosque) -- it is extremely chilly due of the tiles and of the aircon," said to Abdul Majid Ati of the Philippines.

"We view this as a test of our moral character and a challenge."ve been established around Mecca's sacred sites with the goal of "treatment patients on the ground before their case deteriorates" in order to save people from ever needing to be hospitalized in the first place, according to Asiri. Pilgrims will travel to Mount Arafat on the second day of the Hajj, climb it, and spend the entire day praying. Pilgrims can remain in the shade, Asiri suggested.

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