Watch: Pilgrims brave heavy rains as they perform Umrah around Kaa'ba in Makkah

For pilgrims who travel to the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, rain is a gift — on Friday, those at the Grand Mosque were greeted with a downpour.

A number of videos shared on social media showed gray clouds blanketing the holy site and heavy rain pouring down on Umrah pilgrims.

In this clip tweeted by Saudi Arabia's Makkah region authorities, several people are seen braving the rain in their circumambulation ritual around the holy Kaa'ba. While a few had opened up big umbrellas, most welcomed the rainfall:

For Muslims, a downpour during Umrah or Hajj is considered a blessing and the water that flows through the spout of Kaa'ba is believed to be sacred.

Here's the scenario outside the Grand Mosque of Makkah on Friday, as shared by weather monitoring account Storm Centre:

During the peak of the downpour, a key route in the region, Al Hada Road, had to be closed to traffic, the authorities said. Drivers had been advised to use alternate routes. After a couple of hours, however, the road was reopened again.

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