2 minutes ago! Kaaba may not be! Mecca now! The storm blows the shrine into the sky!

As the sky darkened, Mecca’s usually bright and arid expanse was transformed. Gusts of wind, uncommonly vigorous for the region, whipped through the streets, their howls reverberating against the city’s architecture. The heavens opened, unleashing a torrent of rain, a rare occurrence in this typically parched part of the world. The downpour was relentless, turning the courtyards around the Kaaba into reflective pools, mirroring the turmoil in the skies above. The Kaaba itself, a cubic structure draped in a black silk cloth embroidered with gold, stood resolute amidst the tempest. Pilgrims, undeterred by the inclement weather, continued their circumambulation of the sacred site, a ritual known as Tawaf. Their rain-soaked garments and the rhythmic splashing of their footsteps against the flooded marble floor added a surreal quality to the scene.