More than 2mn Muslims gathered at Mount Arafat Monday, asking Allah's forgiveness as the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia reached its climax.
Pilgrims clad in white robes signifying a state of purity spent the night in an encampment around the hill where Allah tested Prophet Abraham's faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son Ismail and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave his last sermon.
Other worshippers praying in the nearby Mina area ascended in buses or on foot from before dawn as security forces directed traffic and helicopters and surveillance drones hovered overhead.
Some pilgrims carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun as temperatures surpassed 40C (104F) after an evening of thunderstorms and high winds.
Men and women from 165 countries gathered side by side, while soldiers handed out bottled water.
Pakistani pilgrim Mohamed Forqan, 30, said it was a great day to be a Muslim. "Here in Arafat we feel that we are born today asking Allah to forgive our sins," he said.
Hilal Issa, 70, from Algeria, said he was praying for God to pardon all Muslims and save the Arab world from its afflictions.
The pilgrims made their way to the plain of Muzdalifah Monday evening. After spending the night in Muzdalifah, pilgrims will continue on to the tent city of Mina, where they will take part in the symbolic "stoning of the devil" ritual.
After the stoning ritual Tuesday, pilgrims will sacrifice animals to mark the beginning of the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday.
A new kiswa, the cloth embroidered with verses from the Qur'an, was placed over the Kaaba in Makkah's Grand Mosque late on Sunday.
Pilgrims will return to pray there at the end of Haj. 
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