An estimated two million Muslims descended from Mount Arafat on Monday, concluding the highlight of the hajj and beginning their trip back to Mecca to finish the annual pilgrimage.

White-robed pilgrims struggled after sunset to track back from Arafat, site of the Prophet Mohammed’s last sermon, to their first stop in Muzdalifah, while buses bursting with pilgrims stood at a standstill amid huge crowds of people.

On Tuesday, the Eid al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice, pilgrims perform the symbolic “stoning of the devil” at Mina, a ritual marked in the past by deadly stampedes before the Saudi authorities expanded the site to several levels.
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Pilgrims had converged on Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain from early on Monday morning.

Chanting the Talbiyah — “O God, here we come, answering your call” — they set off before dawn aiming to reach the top of the hill that dominates the plain of Arafat.

Those who managed to jostle their way through the heaving humanity to the top of the hill, which is also known as Jabal al-Rahma or the Mount of Mercy, sat on the rocks to recite Koranic verses and pray.   »»» Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

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