Two million Muslim pilgrims climbed a sacred hill near the holy city of Mecca today at the peak of the annual haj pilgrimage, taking place this year under the shadow of looming war in Iraq.
A sea of white-robed worshippers came by bus and on foot to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammad delivered his final sermon 14 centuries ago, for the second and most important day of the five-day haj.
This year's spiritual quest has been overshadowed by a massive build-up of US troops and equipment in the region for a possible attack on Muslim Iraq for its alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction.
The Saudi authorities have laid on massive security to prevent political demonstrations, deploying thousands of troops and vowing to crush any group attempting acts of sabotage. Saudi Arabia is Iraq's southern neighbour but a US ally.
In a sermon, cleric Sheikh Abdul-Aziz al-Shaikh spoke of tolerance and said security was a blessing. "Islam is a religion of mercy...A good life is a result of good deeds," he told worshippers, many holding umbrellas to shelter from the sun.
The pilgrimage proceeded without incident under the watchful eyes of riot police camped out at the mount. Surveillance cameras and helicopters monitored crowd movement.
A record 1.43 million Muslims from abroad are performing this year's haj, according to official statistics.
The pilgrims will leave Mount Arafat after sunset, moving to Muzdalifah two miles away where they spend the night and collect pebbles before going to Jamarat in Mena at dawn to stone a pillar in a ritual symbolising the stoning of the devil. Symbolically leaving material things behind, the pilgrims, wearing seamless clothes as a sign of purity, will ask for salvation and forgiveness.
Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must carry out the Haj at least once in their lifetime, a duty taught by Mohammad and symbolising the story of Abraham. Pilgrims seeking repentance and purification believe they return home as pure as when they were born.