Saudi Arabia has barred more than 269,000 people without permits for the annual Hajj pilgrimage from entering Mecca this week, authorities said, as the world's largest annual gathering of people has officially begun.

A Saudi government spokesperson says more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims are in the country for this year's Hajj.

Pilgrims from every corner of the world have begun Hajj 2025 rituals under the open skies of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, braving the searing desert sun, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius,