Mount Arafat

Muslim pilgrims converged Thursday on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.

Saudi authorities deployed drones to watch over nearly 2 million pilgrims as they ascended Mount Arafat at the climax of the haj pilgrimage on Sunday, part of stepped up efforts to avoid a repeat of last year's crush.

The hajj reached its high point Sunday when Muslims from across the world converged on a stoney hill in Saudi Arabia, a year after the worst tragedy in the pilgrimage's history.

From Asia, Africa and points in between, nearly 1.5 million Muslims begin the annual haj in western Saudi Arabia today, undeterred by a stampede which last year killed around 2,300.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world today began moving from the holy city of Mecca to nearby Mina for the start of the hajj, the world's largest annual gathering.

Tears flowed and prayers filled the air as the annual Muslim hajj by about 1.4 million believers from around the world reached its zenith on a vast plain in western Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Muslim pilgrims converged Thursday on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.

Saudi authorities deployed drones to watch over nearly 2 million pilgrims as they ascended Mount Arafat at the climax of the haj pilgrimage on Sunday, part of stepped up efforts to avoid a repeat of last year's crush.

The hajj reached its high point Sunday when Muslims from across the world converged on a stoney hill in Saudi Arabia, a year after the worst tragedy in the pilgrimage's history.

From Asia, Africa and points in between, nearly 1.5 million Muslims begin the annual haj in western Saudi Arabia today, undeterred by a stampede which last year killed around 2,300.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world today began moving from the holy city of Mecca to nearby Mina for the start of the hajj, the world's largest annual gathering.

Tears flowed and prayers filled the air as the annual Muslim hajj by about 1.4 million believers from around the world reached its zenith on a vast plain in western Saudi Arabia on Friday.