Vast crowds of robed pilgrims made solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Mecca's Grand Mosque, on Sunday as the biggest Hajj pilgrimage in years began in the heat of the Saudi summer.
Islam's holiest site is expected to host more than 2 million worshippers from 160 countries during the annual rites that could break attendance records, with 1.6 million foreign nationals having already arrived by Friday evening.
The Hajj began early on Sunday with the "tawaf" — the circumambulation of the Kaaba, the large cubic structure draped in black cloth with gold trimmings that millions of Muslims pray toward every day.