Journey to Mecca
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Muslims pray at the Grand mosque
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Pilgrims walk on the road
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A Saudi security officer controls people
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Pilgrims walk from their camps in Mina
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Saudi security officers monitor live feed screens
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Pilgrims cast stones
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Pilgrims cast stones
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Pilgrims pray at the Grand mosque
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Pilgrims gather on Mount Mercy
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Pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba
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Pilgrims pray in front of the Kaaba
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Pilgrims touch the Kaaba
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Pilgrims pray at the Grand Mosque
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Pilgrims pray at the Grand Mosque
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Pilgrims gather on Mount Mercy
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A Saudi policeman spays pilgrims
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Pilgrims pray at the Grand Mosque
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Pilgrims gather on Mount Mercy
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Large cooling fans spray water on pilgrims
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Pilgrims gather on Mount Mercy
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Pilgrims pray at the Grand Mosque
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A Muslim reads the Koran
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Ppilgrims pray on Jabal Al Rahma holy mountain
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Pilgrims circle the Kaaba
Yahoo News Photo Staff
The annual five-day Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia known as hajj is officially over.
Khalid al-Faisal, governor of Mecca, announced Sunday the formal end of the pilgrimage at a news conference in the holy city.
Hajj draws people from around the world to Saudi Arabia each year. The crowds, squeezed shoulder to shoulder in prayer five times a day, fill the city of Mecca and surrounding areas to perform a number of physically demanding and intricate rites.
The pilgrimage is required once in a lifetime of all Muslims with the means to go. Its goal is remission of past sins and drawing Muslims closer to God. (AP)
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