The Hajj consists of a series of religious rites that are completed over five days in Islam’s holiest city, Mecca, and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia. Above, a pilgrim is embraced by her relative before leaving for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Srinagar as the first batch of 145 pilgrims from Kashmir left for Jeddah after a gap of two years when the pilgrimage was held in a limited manner in Saudi Arabia due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
AFP