Video: Pilgrims pray on Mount Arafat in Hajj climax
Authorities urge pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun
Mount Arafat, Saudi Arabia: More than 1.5 million Muslims braved extreme heat to reach Mount Arafat on Saturday for the high point of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, praying for hours.
Clad in white, worshippers from all over the world began arriving at dawn for the annual rites, ascending the rocky, 70-metre hill where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.
'Scary' heat
The Hajj, one of the world's biggest religious gatherings, is increasingly affected by climate change, according to a Saudi study published last month that said regional temperatures were rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade.
The rituals, which take at least five days to complete and are mostly outdoors, are "not easy because it is very hot", said Abraman Hawa, 26, from Ghana.
"We have sun... but it is not as hot. But I will pray to Allah at Arafat, because I need his support," she added.
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The temperature was expected to hit 43 degrees Celsius on Saturday, creating challenges for pilgrims who arrived at Mount Arafat after spending the night in a giant tented city in Mina, a valley outside Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun. Since men are prohibited from wearing hats, many carry umbrellas.
More than 10,000 heat-related illnesses were recorded last year, 10 per cent of them heat stroke, a Saudi official told AFP this week.
Ahmad Karim Abdelsalam, a 33-year-old pilgrim from India, admitted that he found the prospect of passing hours on Mount Arafat "a little scary".
But with the help of an umbrella and water sprays, "God willing, everything will go well", he said.
The rituals
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims with the means must perform it at least once.
After the rituals at Mount Arafat, the pilgrims will head to Muzdalifah, where they will collect pebbles to carry out the symbolic "stoning of the devil" ritual in Mina on Sunday.
The Hajj is said to follow the path of the Prophet Mohammed's final pilgrimage, about 1,400 years ago.
The kingdom received more than 1.8 million pilgrims last year for the Hajj, around 90 per cent of whom came from abroad.
It also welcomed 13.5 million Muslims who came to perform Umrah, the small pilgrimage that can be done all year round, and aims to reach 30 million by 2030.