Massive crowds circle Kaaba as hajj kicks off in Saudi heat

MECCA, Saudi Arabia — Vast crowds of robed Muslim faithful walk solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Mecca’s Grand Mosque to begin the biggest hajj pilgrimage in several years, in the heat of the Saudi summer.

Islam’s holiest site is expected to host more than two million worshipers from 160 countries during the annual rites that could break attendance records, with 1.6 million foreigners already arrived by late Friday.

The hajj began early today with the tawaf — the circumambulation of the Kaaba, the large cubic structure draped in black cloth with gold trimmings that Muslims around the world pray toward every day.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims with the means.

A series of rites are completed over four days in Mecca and its surroundings in the west of oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

This afternoon, pilgrims start moving to Mina, about five kilometers (three miles) from the Grand Mosque, ahead of the hajj’s climax at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.

Mina, the world’s largest tent city, readied to receive the influx of pilgrims, with food supplies brought in and security forces deployed around the area.

More worshipers are expected to head to Mina tomorrow, as a vibrant atmosphere takes hold of the tented city with the arrival of pilgrims by foot or via air-conditioned buses.