Saudi security forces monitor the holy sites in Mecca during the annual hajj pilgrimage with cameras distributed in main areas of the holy city.
The first group of pilgrims arrive today at the Grande Mosque of Mecca to perform the welcoming Tawaf (circling of the Kaaba) during the second downsized hajj staged amid the coronavirus pandemic, with only fully vaccinated residents permitted to participate.
The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, will start on Sunday, July 19th, with just 60,000 vaccinated Saudi residents allowed to take part this year because of the pandemic.
