'Worth 100 men': Women don colourful robes at guardian-free Haj July 07, 2022 at 12:02AM

This year's Haj, the first large-scale edition since the guardian requirement was dropped in 2021 amid Covid, has taken on a different hue with thousands of unaccompanied women joining the rituals. Many of them have abandoned the black robes traditionally preferred by Haj organisers, adding a dash of colour with reds, greens, oranges and blues dotted around the crowds.