(VOVWORLD) - Muslims from around the world hurled pebbles at 3 giant walls called jamarat in Mina, Saudi Arabia, in a symbolic stoning of the devil on Sunday to start the annual hajj pilgrimage.
 A Muslim carries out the Stoning of the Devil ritual (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam’s holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, and organizing the world’s largest annual pilgrimage, which retraces the route Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago.
Nearly 2.5 million pilgrims, mostly from abroad, have arrived for the five-day ritual, a religious duty once in the lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.