Pilgrims arrive in Makkah for Haj July 17 2021 04:35 PM
Muslim pilgrims perform Tawaf around Ka aba in the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah.
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Pilgrims began arriving in the holy city of Makkah on Saturday for the second downsized Haj staged during the coronavirus pandemic.
The kingdom is allowing only 60,000 fully vaccinated residents to take part, seeking to repeat last year s success that saw no virus outbreak during the five-day ritual.
This year s Haj, with participants chosen through a lottery, is larger than the pared-down version staged in 2020 but drastically smaller than in normal times.
After being loaded on buses and brought to Makkah s Grand Mosque, pilgrims began performing the tawaf , the circumambulation of the Ka aba.
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