UAE announces registration details for Hajj 2024

The Grand Mosque seen from the Clock Tower in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, during the Hajj pilgrimage. AP

Pilgrims pray in front of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AP

Pilgrims in the Grand Mosque. Photo: Hajj Ministry

Pilgrims praying in Mina, near Makkah. AFP

The Grand Mosque in Makkah with its clock tower and the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, in the centre. AFP

Pilgrims crowd Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as the Mount of Mercy, during the Hajj pilgrimage. AFP

Tents housing pilgrims in Mina for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. SPA

Pilgrims on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage. SPA

Pilgrims pray on the Mount of Mercy on the plain of Arafat. Reuters

Pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba in Makkah. Reuters

Doves and pilgrims outside the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Reuters

Saudi security forces parade in Makkah as Muslim pilgrims from around the world arrive for the Hajj. AFP

Buses used to transport pilgrims at a station in Makkah during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. SPA

A pilgrim holds an umbrella as his wife prays, before they cast stones at a pillar in the symbolic stoning of the devil, in Mina, south-east of the holy city of Makkah, during the Hajj. AP

The UAE has announced registration dates for Muslims proposing to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in 2024.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments said pilgrims can register through its app between December 5 and December 21.

Hajj, the Arabic word for pilgrimage, is one of the five pillars of Islam that form a foundation of life for Muslims.

All Muslims able to do so are required to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lifetime.

The annual pilgrimage to the holiest city in Islam takes place during Dhu Al Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar.

Next year's pilgrimage is expected to start in mid-June

The ritual translates as “to attend a journey”, and denotes both the outward act of physically travelling and the inward act of a person's contemplation of their faith.

Hajj is the most revered spiritual experience for devout Muslims – considered a chance to start afresh and celebrate the spirit of unity in Islam. Pilgrims are all required to perform the same rituals taught by the Prophet Mohammed, to remind them that they are all equal before God.

More than 1.8 million worshippers took part in the spiritual journey to Makkah last year – the largest number since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pilgrimage takes three days, but most pilgrims extend their stay by a week to pray in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.