More than 1.5 million foreign Muslims have arrived in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which is set to begin later this week. The holy city has been bustling with activity as pilgrims from across the world stream in, eager to participate in one of the largest religious gatherings on the planet.

Saudi officials have reported that over 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in the country by Tuesday, with the vast majority traveling by air. This number is expected to grow in the coming days, as hundreds of thousands of Saudis and other residents of the kingdom join the pilgrimage. The influx of pilgrims marks a return to the monumental scale of the Hajj, which was significantly reduced in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, more than 1.8 million people performed the Hajj, a figure that Saudi authorities believe will be surpassed this year. The last time the Hajj reached pre-pandemic levels was in 2019, when over 2.4 million Muslims made the pilgrimage.

Among the pilgrims are 4,200 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who arrived in Mecca earlier this month, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs. However, Palestinians from the Gaza Strip were unable to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj this year due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

On Tuesday, the Grand Mosque in Mecca was filled with pilgrims performing the ritual circuit known as the Tawaf, walking seven times around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure inside the mosque that is considered Islam's holiest site. Dressed in ihrams, two unstitched white sheets that resemble shrouds, the pilgrims braved the scorching sun, with temperatures reaching 42 degrees Celsius during the day.

Rabeia al-Raghi, a Moroccan woman who arrived in Mecca for the Hajj with her husband and daughter, expressed her joy and relief upon seeing the Kaaba. "I was relieved when I arrived at the Al-Masjid Al-Haram and saw the Kaaba," she said. "I am very happy."

As night fell, the vast marble court around the Kaaba became even more crowded, with the faithful walking shoulder to shoulder, often jostling with the barricades set up by security forces to manage the massive flows of people. The Tawaf, a ritual that pilgrims perform upon arriving in Mecca, will continue into the first day of the Hajj.

On Friday, the pilgrims will move to the Mountain of Arafat for a daylong vigil, followed by a journey to Muzdalifah, a rocky plain area a few miles away. In Muzdalifah, pilgrims collect pebbles that will be used in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil, which takes place in Mina.

The Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is considered an obligation for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. It is a deeply spiritual experience for those who undertake it, an opportunity to strengthen their faith, seek forgiveness for past sins, and start anew.

As the pilgrims gather in Mecca, they are united in their devotion to Allah and their desire to fulfill one of the most important religious duties in Islam. The Hajj is not only a personal journey but also a testament to the unity and solidarity of the global Muslim community.