Hajj

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam; every adult Muslim is supposed to do it at some time in their life if health and finances permit. In poorer areas it is not uncommon for whole families or even whole villages to chip in to send one person.

It is an exceedingly cosmopolitan affair. Predominantly Muslim areas include most of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, plus South and Southeast Asian countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia and several countries in West Africa. Several other areas have large Muslim minorities and there are some Muslims nearly everywhere. The pilgrimage brings Muslims from all these places together.

It is also one of the largest human migrations. Every year over two million people visit Saudi Arabia for this pilgrimage. Since they all arrive at roughly the same time and visit the same places in the same order, and since a large number of Saudis go as well, this is a major logistical problem. The Saudi government has a ministry to manage it.

The Hajj can only be completed during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah. A pilgrimage to Mecca at any other time is known as Umrah (عمرة), and while not compulsory is strongly recommended.

People who have completed the Hajj are entitled to use the honorific title Haji (men) or Hajjah (women).

See also: Saudi Arabia#Get in

Unless you are a citizen of Saudi Arabia you will need a visa, obtained in advance from a Saudi embassy. Visas are allocated on a quota system, based on the number of Muslims in a country. You may need to provide evidence that you are Muslim, such as a letter from your local mosque. You are not permitted to perform the Hajj on a tourist visa; you will need a special Hajj visa for the purpose. However, you may perform Umrah on a tourist visa outside the Hajj season.

Citizens of most countries can register directly with the Saudi government on their Hajj website, where Hajj visas are allocated on a first come first serve basis. Some countries have domestic regulation on the Hajj; in these countries, you will need to register with the local governing body of Islam, who will allocate Hajj places based on their own domestic rules.

Since 2023, women are no longer required to travel with a mahram (male family member) to perform the Hajj, and may now travel alone.

Proof of vaccination for meningitis (specifically the ACYW135 vaccine) between three years before and ten days before your entry into Saudi Arabia is required. Yellow fever vaccination is required if you arrive from any country with known yellow fever infections, and polio vaccinations are required for children up to 15. As millions of people from all over the world gather for Hajj and therefore you will be exposed to many diseases, you may want to discuss other vaccinations and preventative measures with your doctor.

Throughout Hajj you are expected to remove signs of wealth or class distinctions by replacing your clothing with simple white garments. These pieces are called ‘ihram clothing’, and for women comprise of a white abaya, scarf or shawl and socks. The ihram clothing of Hajj is a signifier of equality: all pilgrims are presented as equals in the eyes of God. The white clothing also symbolises purity, and the state of absolute devotion that the pilgrims are in.

In medieval times, people made the pilgrimage to Mecca by camel caravan or by ship; the journey often took months, sometimes even years.

Today, most pilgrims arrive via the airport at Jeddah. Airlines in most Muslim countries offer special flights specifically for Hajj and Jeddah has many regular commercial flights as well, in particular flights to most major European or Middle Eastern hubs. See Jeddah#Get_in for more information.

There are two special Hajj terminals, the largest buildings by roof area in the world at 260,000 m² (2.8 million ft²). They are enormous tents of fiberglass fabric on reinforced concrete poles and steel cables. At Hajj time, there are dozens of large aircraft parked alongside these terminals. These are used only for the Hajj; the airport has other terminals for normal travel. Driving to the North Terminal, you pass between the two Hajj terminals.

From Jeddah — for most pilgrims, directly from the airport — there are chartered buses and taxis to Mecca. Many are painted in the yellow and black pattern used on school buses in North America; seeing dozens of those on the highway is a strange sight if you know them as school buses.

Medina is another entry point, with its airport handling many Hajj flights as well.

The Haramain High-Speed Railway connects Mecca to Medina via Jeddah, and is the quickest and most comfortable way to get to Mecca once you've landed in Saudi Arabia.

Mecca's Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro line (Arabic: قطار المشاعر المقدسة الخط الجنوبي) is Saudi Arabia's first metro line, and was specifically built to shuttle pilgrims between the different holy sites. It is the highest capacity metro line in the world, but still gets very crowded during the Hajj given the sheer number of pilgrims, so be sure to prepare and plan accoringly.

Upon arriving in Mecca and checking into a hotel, pilgrims head to Masjid al-Haram and do Tawaf which involves walking around the Kaaba four times at a fast pace and three times at a slow pace. Tawaf is followed by sa'ay which is done by walking seven times back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah (both rituals done within the Masjid al-Haram).

These first two steps, which can be done at any time of the year, are known as the "lesser Hajj" or Umrah, while the full course is known as the "greater Hajj" or al-Hajj al-Akbar.

The traditional Hajj route is as follows:

• First day of Hajj – The 8th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah is the first day of the Hajj pilgrimage. Pilgrims enter into a state of holiness by wearing the Ihram while inside Mecca and proceed to Mina, a neighborhood of Mecca and is some 10 km away from central Mecca. Pilgrims go by walking in large groups and camp overnight in Mina. Mina, the city of tents, has more than 100,000 air-conditioned tents which provide temporary accommodation to Hajj pilgrims. Pilgrims spend the day praying during their stay in Mina.
• Second day of Hajj – On the 9th, pilgrims started to move towards the desert plains of Arafat, some 15 km away from Mina. It is said that a pilgrim's Hajj is considered invalid if they do not spend the afternoon in Arafat. Arafat remains uninhabited most of the year except during Hajj season when it is jam-packed. Pilgrims spend time praying in Arafat until sunset. And as soon as the sun sets, the pilgrims begin to leave Arafat for Muzdalifah. Muzdalifah is some 10 km from Arafat on the route between Mina and Arafat. Pilgrims collect pebbles for the next day's ritual of the stoning of the devil in Arafat and camp overnight at open area of Muzdalifah, and often end-up sleeping in the open air.
• Third day of Hajj – Eid al-Adha begins. On the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah, pilgrims proceed back to Mina and from Mina continue proceeding towards Jamarat Bridge, some 5 km from Mina. At Jamarat Bridge, a symbolic stoning of the devil is performed which involves throwing seven pebbles at the large wall representing the Devil. After performing the stoning of the devil, pilgrims do the sacrifice of an animal (often performed by proxy by buying a sacrifice voucher in Mecca). After which pilgrims move back to Mecca and do Tawaf and Sa'ii of Hajj. Now Ihram are removed and normal clothing can be worn. By night, pilgrims move back to Mina and spend the night there.
• Fourth day of Hajj – On the 11th, pilgrims again proceed to Jamarat Bridge and perform the stoning of the devil. Pilgrims spend the night in Mina.
• Fifth day of Hajj – On the 12th, pilgrims again proceed to Jamarat Bridge and perform yet another stoning of the devil. By sunset, they move back to Mecca.
• Sixth day of Hajj – On the 13th, pilgrims perform Tawaf Widaa, a final circumambulation of the Kaaba and start to leave Mecca for their homes.

A visit to Medina is optional (though highly encouraged) and not part of the Hajj, but most pilgrims visit Medina after completing the Hajj before heading home.

It is fairly common for pilgrims coming from carpet-producing areas (much of the Muslim world) to bring along a few rugs to sell along the way to help finance their trip. Places like the bazaar in Jeddah therefore often have a broad selection of rugs, some from quite far away.

Prayer rugs make particularly good souvenirs because they have religious significance and are small enough to be reasonably easy to transport and often moderately priced.

Medina dates are famously excellent.

The Hajj brings together vast multitudes of pilgrims from all around the world. As of 2013, the Ministry of Hajj states that vaccinations for meningococcal meningitis are required for all pilgrims, and those from yellow fever zones must have a vaccination for that as well.

During major epidemics, Saudi health officials sometimes restrict travel to Mecca and Medina – for instance, during the MERS, Ebola, and COVID-19 epidemics in 2013, 2014, and 2020, respectively.

Special visas for Hajj are strictly limited to Mecca, Medina, Mina, Arafah and Muzdalifah. Traveling anywhere else in Saudi Arabia will require an additional travel permit, which is difficult and time-consuming to obtain, and is rarely granted without good reason (e.g. medical emergencies).

Most pilgrims head to Medina after performing Hajj and stay there for few days before going back home. Medina is where Muhammad lived and taught from when he was driven out of Mecca until his triumphant return, and is also where he was buried.

During the Hajj season flights between Jeddah or Medina and any Muslim country are quite cheap since there are many flights full of pilgrims going one way (in before Hajj and out after) and airlines do not want to fly the other way with empty planes. Muslim expatriates working in Saudi Arabia often take advantage of this to visit home; Western expats use it for vacations.