These are rare images: the Kaaba esplanade, the cubic structure located in the heart of the Great Mosque of Mecca, and towards which Muslims go during prayer, is completely deserted. Hundreds of millions of Muslims began a month of Ramadan this Friday under the sign of containment in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
The restrictions imposed in most countries force mosques to remain closed and iftar, the daily meal of breaking the fast, a usually friendly or festive moment, cannot be shared as is customary with family or between neighbors.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia, home to the two holiest places in Islam, said “afflicted“by the absence of collective prayers, but insisted on the”protection of the life and health of peoples“.
Containment measures are strict in the kingdom, where prayers have been suspended in mosques and a total curfew imposed in most areas. With the exception of those in the Great Mosque in Mecca, where worshipers in limited numbers and surrounded by security forces, were present at prayer on Friday.
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