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For Mohammed al-Eter, an Egyptian pharmacist living in Riyadh, being selected for this year's downsized hajj pilgrimage felt like "winning the lottery." The annual hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, is set to start on Saturday. Only 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi residents are allowed to take part due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For the second year in a row, Muslims from abroad have been banned from the hajj, which drew 2.5 million pilgrims before the virus struck in 2019. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES