Thousands of Muslims arrive in Mecca for holy celebration of Islam

Thousands of Muslim pilgrims arrived in Mecca and performed a sacred ritual in the Grand Mosque before the start of the Hajj.

The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage that attracts millions of Muslims to Mecca, a holy city in Saudi Arabia, to perform religious rites taught by the Prophet Muhammad to his followers 14 centuries ago.

As the fifth pillar of Islam, Hajj is a religious duty that every Muslim with the physical and financial conditions to perform it must fulfill at least once in their life. It represents the highest expression of Islamic faith, devotion and global unity.

The pilgrimage takes place during the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, which means the date varies each year in relation to the solar calendar. Consequently, both Hajj and Ramadan take place in different seasons over time.

Eid al-Adha, one of Islam's two main holidays, occurs in the middle of next week and marks the culmination of the Hajj.

This Monday (25), Muslim pilgrims headed to Mina, on the eastern outskirts of Mecca, as the Hajj season approaches its peak.

Muslims undertaking the annual pilgrimage travel to Mina and spend the night there before heading to Mount Arafat for Arafat Day, on the eve of the Eid Al-Adha festival, which marks the beginning of the culmination of the event.

Source: CNN