RIYADH: At least 2.5 million hajj pilgrims on Wednesday left for Muzdalifah after they gathered at Mount Arafat where they stood in prayer till sunset in one of the most important days of the Islamic calendar.
The rocky areas of Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah a few kilometers east of Makka are the main sites of hajj, which culminates with Thursday’s Eid al-Adha holiday and are the location of rituals laid out by the Prophet Mohammed peace be upon him.
There they will gather pebbles for a symbolic stoning of the devil ritual on Thursday, which is also the Eid al-Adha feast of sacrifice marked by the world’s more than 1.5 billion Muslims.
At Arafat, some 2.5 million pilgrims packed should-to-shoulder for an emotional day of repentance and supplication.
