A large number of Muslim pilgrims have arrived in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as the annual Hajj pilgrimage begins today, Friday. Muslims from around the world make the pilgrimage to Mecca every year to perform a series of religious rituals and to visit holy sites associated with the Prophet Muhammad. Nearly 1.5 million pilgrims had already arrived in the city by Tuesday, according to Saudi authorities, and the number is expected to grow in the coming weeks as hundreds of thousands of Saudis and other residents join the pilgrimage after it officially begins on Friday. Upon their arrival, pilgrims have been performing the circumambulation, a ritual in which they circle the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building at the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The circumambulation will continue into Friday, the first day of Hajj, when pilgrims will move to Mina, a desert plain outside the city. From Mina, pilgrims will travel to Mount Arafat, where they will spend the day in prayer and supplication. The pilgrimage will conclude with a symbolic stoning of the devil at Jamarat, followed by a sacrifice of an animal.
1.5 Million Pilgrims Gather in Mecca for Annual Hajj Pilgrimage
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