(MENAFN) A rare “blood moon” lunar eclipse captivated viewers Sunday across multiple Arab countries, drawing massive crowds and prompting special religious observances.

A Saudi Arabian news outlet confirmed the country experienced its longest lunar eclipse since 2018. Devotees gathered at key holy sites, performing the Khusuf prayer, a ritual traditionally observed during eclipses, at Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

In Egypt, the Helwan Observatory provided a live broadcast of the celestial event, while mosques throughout Cairo hosted prayers. The spectacle also attracted significant public interest in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman.

Thousands in Amman, Jordan’s capital, assembled outdoors to witness the lunar phenomenon firsthand.

The “blood moon” phenomenon refers to a total lunar eclipse, which occurs when Earth aligns directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting the lunar surface into Earth’s shadow. Earth's atmosphere filters sunlight, scattering shorter blue wavelengths and allowing the longer, red wavelengths to bathe the moon in a striking reddish hue.

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