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Umrah pilgrims return to a Mecca stilled by COVID-19 slump
Mecca slowly stirred from a seven-month hibernation on Oct. 4 as pilgrims trickled in after Saudi Arabian authorities partially lifted a coronavirus ban on performing umrah - a...
Millions of Muslims from around the world usually descend on Saudi Arabia for the umrah and haj Islamic pilgrimages.
- MECCA-Reuters
- Hurriyet
The two share common rites, but the haj, held once a year, is the main lengthier ritual that is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for Muslims.
Saudi Arabia, which held a largely symbolic haj earlier this year limited to domestic worshippers, has allowed citizens and residents to…