Stunning aerial photos as millions of Muslims make the annual pilgramage to Mecca
The hajj pilgrimage celebrates the Prophets Abraham and Muhammed. According to the Quran, Abraham is the founder of Islam and sacrificed his son for the sake of god.
The Prophet Muhammed was a descendent of Abraham and the last of a number of prophets who "revealed" Islam to humanity. The five pillars refer to him as Allah's final messenger.
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims complete the hajj pilgrimage every year. For many, it's the pinnacle of their spiritual lives and some walk hundreds or even thousands of miles to reach the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
This year, approximately two million worshippers completed the pilgrimage, a similar number to last year. 1.4 million pilgrims came from abroad while hundreds of thousands of Saudis also joined.
The final destination is the Kaaba — a black cube-shaped structure believed to have been constructed by Abraham as a place of worship. Billions of Muslims? pray towards this structure every day of the year.
The pilgrimage is observed over a total of five days and they spend it praying either in Mecca or in the surrounding desert. Every Muslim must make the journey at least once in their lifetime, as long as they are financially and physically able.
There are some rules that pilgrims follow. They must all wear plain white sheets as a sign of unity, they aren't allowed to argue, cut their nails, wear perfume, or cut their hair. It's also tradition for the thousands of Muslims surrounding the Kaaba to circle it seven times in an anti-clockwise direction, known as tawaf.
Security is tight this year. Approximately 100,000 police have been deployed to monitor holy sites in the city as war continues to ravage neighbouring Yemen and terrorist activity intensifies in the middle east.
This image shows Saudi policemen watching monitor screens showing CCTV footage from cameras set up around the holy places.
As part of the ritual, many Muslims visit Hera cave, where they believe the prophet received the first words of the Quran through Gabriel, at the top of Mount Al-Noor.
Children are taught the importance of the hajj from a young age. Here, Palestinian children take part in a re-enactment of the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, at their school in the West Bank city of Nablus.
The climax of the five-day hajj pilgrimage takes place in the Arafat valley, where the Prophet Muhammed allegedly delivered his final sermon roughly 1,400 years ago after leading his followers on the hajj.
Pilgrims this year seem to have been undeterred by a tragic crane accident which killed 107 people and injured 230 others just last week.
For those who aren't able to take part in the hajj pilgrimage, they can perform the Umrah pilgrimage. This is often seen as the "lesser pilgrimage" and can be performed at any time of the year.
Source: Christian Today
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