Claim: Snow in the precincts of the Kabah in Makkah.
Source: TikTok
Verdict: FALSE
Iqra Today’s checks on social media shows that a video with the narrative of snow falling within the precincts of Kabah was being shared widely on TikTok.
In the said video, pilgrims (clad in their white shrouds) are seen around the Kabah with what looks like snowy conditions around them as they go about their activities.
Fact-check
Inside the Haramain, a Facebook page with over 4.6 million followers posted a note disclaiming reports that snow had fallen close to the Kaaba recently.
“The reports of snowfall in Masjid Al Haram, Makkah, are entirely untrue. It’s crucial to check facts from reliable sources, Such false information can spread quickly and cause unnecessary confusion. Always verify news from credible and reliable sources before sharing it,” the caption of their post read.
It was accompanied by a screenshot from the viral video with a fake news label slapped across it.
Iqra Today also found a previous fact-check of the same video by Reuters News Agency in 2023. The verdict of the Reuters report read: “Digitally altered. Snow did not fall near the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mosque on Jan. 1, 2023.”
A tweet posted on the verified account of Arabia Weather, a weather-tracking website, adds: “The circulating video entitled ‘For the first time snow in Makkah Al-Mukarramah 1-1-2023’ is a technically modified video using filters, knowing that the temperature in Makkah today reached 30 degrees Celsius, and it is not climatically prepared for snowfall.” (here)
You can read the full Reuters report: Video of snow falling near the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mosque of Mecca is digitally altered
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