AFP, Makkah
Nearly two million Muslim faithful set off Monday from Makkah to the valley of Mina as the annual hajj pilgrimage got underway in Saudi Arabia amid tight security.
The pilgrims, wearing white robes, walked or boarded buses to Mina, five kilometres (three miles) east of the holy city of Makkah, to begin tracing the journey made by the Prophet Mohammed (sm) more than 1,400 years ago.
Pilgrims will spend the day in prayers and meditation in Mina, sleeping at night in tents before heading further south to Mount Arafat. [Read more]