Summary
Highlights
Mecca, located in the western mountains of Saudi Arabia, is a sacred territory. At its heart is the Al-Masjid al-Haram mosque, which houses the Kaaba. Muslims worship what the Kaaba represents: the One God. The Hajj is a series of rituals performed between the 8th and 13th days of the last month of the Islamic calendar. Circling the Kaaba is a high priority for pilgrims upon arrival, and seeing it for the first time is often an overwhelming experience.
Pilgrims then travel to the valley of Mina, where Prophet Muhammad rested during his Hajj. This area swells from virtually zero to two million people overnight. The following day, pilgrims head to the plain of Arafat, an 8-mile journey that often clogs roads with 50,000 vehicles. Arafat is believed by Muslims to be where Adam and Eve reunited after exile from Eden, and it is seen by many as a rehearsal for Judgment Day, where all earthly trappings fall away.
A strange quiet descends over Arafat in the afternoon as people turn inward for the 'standing at Arafat'. Pilgrims can only leave Arafat after sunset, with nearly two million people poised to move once the sun dips below the horizon. They then return to Mina, where they will engage in a symbolic battle with the devil.
In Mina, Muslims believe God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, but the devil challenged him not to. Abraham reportedly stoned the devil three times, and three stone pillars mark these spots. Pilgrims pick up pebbles to stone Satan themselves, a ritual called the Jamarat. After completing all other rites, pilgrims return to Mecca for a final visit to the Kaaba. Men earn the title 'Hajji' and women 'Hajja', symbolizing their spiritual rebirth and transformation.