Hajj pilgrims at Arafat 

Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage.

Arafat Day, observed on the ninth day of Dhu al-Hijjah – the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar – is considered the pinnacle of the Hajj pilgrimage.

On this day, pilgrims gather at the Plain of Arafat near Mecca in Saudi Arabia to pray, seek forgiveness and reflect on their faith.

Thousands of pilgrims were beginning to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.

While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and Koran recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the hajj.

After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic ‘stoning of the devil’.

Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white dotted the mount itself, with many more at its foot praying or taking pictures.
Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday, when the desert sun is at its harshest.