By IRNA,
Holy Mecca : Nearly 3 million pilgrims chanting prayers converged in a valley just outside the holy city of Mecca at the beginning of the five-day hajj pilgrimage.
Pilgrims from about 100 countries left Mecca after completing the first ritual of the hajj by circling the sacred Kaaba stone structure inside the Grand Mosque, which Muslims all over the world face during their five daily prayers.
Dressed in white robes, pilgrims piled into and on top of buses on their way to a ritual of prayer and reflection in Mina, 3 miles east of Mecca.
The hajj, packed with symbolism and ritual, is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Every able-bodied Muslim with the financial means must perform it at least once.
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