Despite Middle East war, foreign pilgrims flock to Mecca for hajj
Key takeaways
- Despite the war in the Middle East, foreign pilgrims have flocked to Mecca to participate in this year’s hajj.
- By: FRANCE 24 Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on May 22, 2026.
- Major Gulf airlines in the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain have worked to quickly restore much of their operational capacity after weeks of airspace closures and flight cancellations.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Despite the war in the Middle East, foreign pilgrims have flocked to Mecca to participate in this year’s hajj. According to officials, more than 1.5 million have already arrived in Saudi Arabia, surpassing last year’s numbers.
By: FRANCE 24 Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on May 22, 2026. © Altaf Qadri, AP Over 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the kingdom for the upcoming hajj, according to a Saudi official, exceeding the number of international visitors last year despite the war in the Middle East.
The conflict triggered by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February saw Tehran order waves of strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf, prompting widespread air traffic disruptions and causing travel costs to surge.