saudi Arabia is preparing to welcome Wednesday, the great muslim pilgrimage to Mecca with a number of the faithful greatly reduced this year because of the pandemic of coronavirus, a first in modern history.

Some 2.5 million pilgrims, many from abroad, had made the pilgrimage last year. This year, only 10.000 Saudis and foreign residents in the kingdom were allowed to perform the great pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of islam.