Muslim pilgrims performed the ritual stoning of the devil on Wednesday during the climactic rite of the Hajj pilgrimage, carried out in intense heat and against a backdrop of regional conflict that has heightened tensions across the Gulf.
From dawn, crowds gathered in Mina, a valley southeast of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where they threw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil.
The ritual re-enacts the moment in Islamic tradition when the Prophet Abraham stoned Satan at three locations after being tempted to disobey God’s command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
White-robed pilgrims have been contending with searing desert heat as they carry out the days-long, largely outdoor rituals, with temperatures reaching 44C in Mecca and Mina on Wednesday.
After more than 1,300 people died during the 2024 Hajj, when temperatures soared past 50 degrees Celcius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), Saudi authorities ramped up anti-heat measures, including giant fans, mist sprayers, cooled floors and trucks distributing drinking water.
More than 1.7 million people are taking part in the Hajj this year, slightly up from 2025, despite Middle East tensions in which Iranian drones and missiles targeted sites in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours for several weeks.
The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil output, has remained under pressure as a stop-start U.S.-Iran peace process unfolds, dealing a blow to Gulf exporters and pushing energy prices higher.
Extreme hardship
Despite the physical challenges, many pilgrims expressed joy at completing the pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be performed at least once by Muslims with the means to do so.
"I can’t believe I’ve finished the Hajj rituals,” Iraqi pilgrim Adnan Hamad, 58, told AFP as his daughters, dressed in white robes, looked on.
"Every step was enjoyable despite the extreme hardship.”
Marwa Dahchouri, from Egypt, described the devil-stoning as "a truly unique feeling.”
"It’s as if you were in paradise, or as if you’ve become a small part of it,” she said.
On Tuesday, pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
They then spent the night under the stars at Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they collected pebbles for the stoning ritual.
After the ceremony, pilgrims return to Mecca for a final circumambulation of the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the heart of the Grand Mosque toward which Muslims face in prayer.
The Hajj’s final day also marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son before the angel Gabriel intervened and provided a ram in Ishmael’s place.
The festival, celebrated across the Muslim world, is typically marked by the slaughter of a sheep, with some of the meat distributed to those in need.