Masses of pilgrims in Saudi Arabia circle the Kaaba ahead of the official beginning of the Hajj

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims in Mecca in Saudi Arabia are circling the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, as they prepare for the official start of the Hajj. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. The area around the Grand Mosque in Mecca, where the Kaaba is located, was overcrowded on Thursday, a day before pilgrims head to the nearby desert area of Mina to officially open the Islamic pilgrimage. Saudi authorities say that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country as of Tuesday. More are expected, and hundreds of thousands of Saudis and others living in Saudi Arabia will also join them when the pilgrimage officially begins on Friday.