MECCA (AP) — Muslim pilgrims have concluded the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Saturday by circling around the holy site of the black cube-shaped Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

This year, over 1.5 million Muslim pilgrims undertook the Hajj pilgrimage in temperatures that sometimes exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able.

This year’s Hajj pilgrimage took place as heightened regional tensions linked to the war involving Iran cast a shadow over the gathering at Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia.