More than 2 million Muslims have begun the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
From first light Sunday, throngs of the faithful have circled the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca, one of the holiest sites in Islam.
The Kaaba represents the metaphorical house of God and the oneness of God. Observant Muslims around the world face toward the Kaaba during their five daily prayers.
Muslim pilgrims pray at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. The annual Islamic pilgrimage draws millions of visitors each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people in the world. (AP PhotoDar Yasin)
The five-day pilgrimage represents one of the five pillars of Islam and is required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life.
The hajj offers pilgrims an opportunity to feel closer to God amid the Muslim world's many challenges, including the threat of extremists in the Mideast after the Islamic State group was beaten back in Iraq and Syria and the plight of Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya minority.
Muslim pilgrims walks towards the Grand Mosque, to offer prayers ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018.The annual Islamic pilgrimage draws millions of visitors each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people in the world. (AP PhotoDar Yasin)
A Muslim pilgrim drinks water distributed by Saudi volunteers near the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. The annual Islamic pilgrimage draws millions of visitors each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people in the world. (AP PhotoDar Yasin)
Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, before leaving for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, early Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018. The annual Islamic pilgrimage draws millions of visitors each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people in the world. (AP PhotoDar Yasin)