BEIRUT — More than 2 million Muslims from around the world arrived in Saudi Arabia this week to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage in and around the holy city of Mecca, defying global inflation and rising prices across the globe.

The hajj season, which began on Monday, is one of the five pillars of Islam. On the third day of the pilgrimage, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha, which this year falls on Wednesday. On this day, Muslims celebrate by sacrificing an animal, most commonly a sheep, to symbolize Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son upon Allah’s command. Seeing his devotion, Allah sent instead a sheep for Ibrahim to sacrifice. Despite the economic crises and armed conflicts in the region, Muslims are determined to celebrate Eid.

This year’s Muslim holiday coincides with major realignments happening in the region, including an Iranian rapprochement with the countries of the region as well as Syria’s return to the Arab fold. On Tuesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received a phone call from his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in which they exchanged Eid al-Adha greetings, the Syrian presidency reported on its Twitter account.

Saudi authorities are expecting more than 2.6 million pilgrims this year, even more than pre-pandemic levels. Around 87,550 of those will be Iranians, according to Iran’s official media, up from 39,635 the previous year, as Saudi Arabia improved services to Iranian pilgrims following a reconciliation deal reached between Riyadh and Tehran in March.