Pilgrims brave heat for final rites of hajj

At least 14 have died as temperatures soar

- SAMY MAGDY

Muslim pilgrims pray around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Sunday.

Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia under the soaring summer heat. The ritual marks the final days of the hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world.

The stoning is among the final rites of the hajj, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It came a day after more than 1.8 million pilgrims congregated at a sacred hill, known as Mount Arafat, outside the holy city of Mecca, which Muslim pilgrims visit to perform the annual five-day rituals of hajj.

Fourteen Jordanian pilgrims have died from sunstroke during the hajj, according to Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it has co-ordinated with Saudi authorities to bury the dead in Saudi Arabia, or transfer them to Jordan.