Hajj 2025: Why Saudi Arabia urges pilgrims to use umbrellas for heat protection

Cairo: Saudi health authorities have advised pilgrims gathering in the kingdom for performing the annual Hajj pilgrimage early next month to regularly use the umbrella to protect themselves from heat as the mercury continues to shoot up.

The kingdom's Ministry of Health has underlined the importance of using an umbrella during the Hajj rituals.

The umbrella functions as an important tool of shade, which significantly reduces the likelihood of exposure to heat stress or sunstrokes, the ministry has said.

It explained that umbrellas are highly effective in protecting oneself from the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays, the primary cause of sunburn, with this protection ranging from 64% to 92%.

In addition, the shade provided by the umbrella can lower the temperature of the surrounding air by up to eight degrees Celsius, providing a cooler environment for performing the rituals in and around the Saudi holy city of Mecca.

The pilgrims are, moreover, advised to drink enough amounts of water as an anti-dehydration procedure.

The upcoming Hajj will be the last to occur during the intense summer heat for the next 16 years.

Starting in 2026, due to the Islamic lunar calendar, the Hajj season will gradually shift into cooler months—first spring, then winter.