The Role of Epidemic Diseases in Limiting the Hajj Pilgrimage in the Caucasus during 1860-1917

The annual pilgrimage made by Muslims from the Caucasus region to the holy city of Mecca in the years 1860-1917 witnessed many changes and developments due to the growth of technology and the expansion of the railway network that resulted in reduced costs and increased speed of travel, security and comfort of pilgrims. On the other hand, the traditional ways of Hajj travel underwent great changes, and the Caucasus became the main focus of these ways and became much more important. In these conditions, the Hajj pilgrimage became an achievable dream for the Muslim nations of the Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Afghanistan and Iran, and led to the emerging phenomenon of mass pilgrimage. This emerging phenomenon was accompanied by a deadly epidemic of cholera, which became a major challenge among Muslims and the government with the intervention of the Tsarist Russian government. The main aim of this research, which is performed using analytical-descriptive method, and conducted, using library resources, is to answer the important question of “What was the role of epidemic diseases on hajj pilgrimage in the region”. Analysis of the evidences indicates that the government has not been successful in adopting a balanced policy between the hajj pilgrimage, epidemic diseases and modernization until its collapse and used epidemics as a tactic to limit the pilgrimage to various excuses at different times. Although the pilgrimage was severely restricted due to epidemics, the population of pilgrims from the Caucasus and Central Asia still grew rapidly in Hejaz.