Time Lapse of 2019 Hajj Pilgrimage in Mecca

A time lapse of this year's annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia. Muslims participated in the religious ritual from Saturday, August 11, to Tuesday, August 13. (AFP)

More than 2 million Muslims were in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Islam's holiest site, for the yearly event.

The annual ritual started on Friday, August 9, where pilgrims walked counterclockwise seven times around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the center of the Grand Mosque of Mecca. Muslims believe the Kabaa was built by the Prophet Abraham.

The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to do so are expected to take part in the Hajj at least once in their lifetimes.

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