The first day of fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Mecca will likely be Thursday, February 19.

Nearly two million Muslim pilgrims assembled on Mount Arafat in western Saudi Arabia on Thursday, marking the spiritual pinnacle of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

From 1517 to 1917, nearly all modern Arab countries were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, whose sultan also held the title of caliph. Following its defeat in World War I, the Republic of Türkiye was established in 1923. Meanwhile, in 1932, after a series of successful wars on former Ottoman lands, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) emerged. Spanning approximately 2.15 million square kilometers and home to nearly 35 million people, its capital is Riyadh. However, what truly elevates its standing in the Islamic world is its stewardship of Islam’s two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. In 1938, vast oil reserves were discovered in the kingdom, cementing its economic power.

At least 1,301 people died during Hajj, Saudi Arabia says, mostly unauthorised pilgrims who walked long distances in intense heat, News.Az reports citing BBC.

Over 1,000 pilgrims have died during the hajj this year as Saudi Arabia's Mecca continued to reel under intense heat, AFP reported

Hundreds of visitors have died during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca amid scorching heat, according to press reports and foreign ministries.