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In Pictures: Hajj 2015

About three million people from around the world expected to converge in Mecca and other nearby areas for Hajj.

Haj 2015
More than 2 million Muslims have begun the first rites of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which draws people from around the world to Mecca and areas around it to perform a series of rituals and prayers aimed at ultimately erasing past sins. [Mosa ab Elshamy/AP]
Published On 23 Sep 2015

Millions of people have come to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the world’s largest annual gatherings.

The pilgrimage is a central pillar of the Islamic faith, a spiritual journey meant to cleanse the faithful of sin and bring them closer to God.  

This year’s Hajj pilgrimage takes place from 22 to 26 September.

Related: Hajj in real-time

Haj 2015
Roughly 3 million people from around the world are expected to converge at the Kaaba, in Mina and other nearby areas for the Hajj, which lasts about five days. [Mosa ab Elshamy/AP]
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Haj 2015
The Hajj pilgrimage 2015 takes place in Mecca from 22 to 26 September. The pilgrimage is one of Islam's five pillars, it has to be performed at least once in one's life if he or she can afford it. [Amel Pain/EPA]
Haj 2015
Muslim pilgrims circumvent around the Kaaba at the Masjid al-Haram Mosque, Islam's holiest site, two days before the Hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. [Amel Pain/EPA]
Haj 2015
A Muslim pilgrim couple take a selfie on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca. [Mosa ab Elshamy/AP]
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Mina is the world's largest tent city. [Mosa ab Elshamy/AP]
Haj 2015
A Muslim pilgrim on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat. [Ahmad Masood/Reuters]
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haj 2015
Saudi Arabia has deployed 100,000 security personnel to oversee the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage that begins on Tuesday. [Mosa ab Elshamy/AP]
Haj 2015
A Muslim pilgrim uses her mobile phone to light up as she reads from the Quran after visiting Hera cave, where Muslims believe Prophet Mohammad received the first words of the Koran through Gabriel, at the top of Mount Al-Noor. [Ahmad Masood/Reuters]
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Muslim pilgrims pray on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat. [Ahmad Masood/Reuters]
Haj 2015
The visit to Hirat Grotto is not part of the Hajj pilgrimage, but a tradition some pilgrims like to carry on with to deepen their spiritual experience. [Amel Pain/EPA]
Haj 2015
Mount Arafat, marked by a white pillar, is where Islam's Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his last sermon to tens of thousands of followers some 1,400 years ago, calling on Muslims to unite. [Mosa ab Elshamy/AP]