Hajj is an Islamic religious pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia and before the COVID pandemic was attended by 1 to 2 million pilgrims annually. The dates for the 2021 Hajj are 17 to 22 July. The pilgrimage takes place from the 8th-13th days of the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. The date of Hajj is eleven days earlier each year because the Islamic calendar is eleven days shorter than the calendar used in the western world. 

Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year. Umrah can be: combined with the Hajj (called Umrat al-tammatu) or taken independently of the Hajj (called al-Umrat al mufradah)