HAJJ 2011 PHOTOS-Must See

The Hajj pilgrimage
draws millions of Muslims from around the world every year to Mecca, the
birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam's holiest place. Saudi
Arabia expects to host perhaps three million people in a ritual journey
that every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make at least once
in their lifetime. It is the largest annual gathering of humanity
anywhere. Timed to the Muslim lunar calendar, the Hajj is followed by
the celebrations of the three-day festival of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast
of Sacrifice, which symbolizes Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his
son. Collected here are photographs of the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, as well as images of preparations for the Hajj and Eid al-Adha
in many other parts of the Muslim world. -- Lane Turner (42 photos total)

A
Muslim pilgrim prays as visits the Hiraa cave at the top of Noor
Mountain on the outskirts of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 2, 2011.
According to tradition, Islam's Prophet Mohammed received his first
message to preach Islam while he was praying in the cave. (Hassan
Ammar/AP)


2
Muslim
pilgrims climb a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy on the Plain
of Arafat near Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 5, 2011. (Hassan
Ammar/AP) #


3
Tens
of thousands of Muslim pilgrims move around the Kaaba (center) inside
the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 3, 2011. (Hassan
Ammar/AP) #


4
Tens
of thousands of Muslim pilgrims pray inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca,
Saudi Arabia on November 4, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #


5
The
Mecca CLock Tower dominates the city as Muslim pilgrims walking around
the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of the holy city of Mecca during the
annual Hajj pilgrimage rituals on November 7, 2011. (Fayez
Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #


6
Muslim
pilgrims wait in line as they arrive at Jeddah airport on October 30,
2011 before going to the Saudi holy city of Mecca, where they will take
part in the annual Hajj or pilgrimage. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty
Images) #


7
Muslim
pilgrims pose for a picture as they rest in a street near the Grand
Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on November 3, 2011. (Fayez
Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #


8
Tens
of thousands of Muslim pilgrims move around the Kaaba (center) inside
the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 3, 2011. (Hassan
Ammar/AP) #


9
Birds
fly over Muslim pilgrims near the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy city
of Mecca on November 3, 2011. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #


10
Muslim
pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy on the Plain
of Arafat near Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 5, 2011. (Hassan
Ammar/AP) #


11
Muslim
pilgrims cast stones at a pillar, symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a
ritual called "Jamarat," the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near
the Saudi holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 6, 2011.
(Hassan Ammar/AP) #


12
Muslim
pilgrims protect their heads from stones thrown by others at a pillar,
symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called "Jamarat," the last
rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near the Saudi holy city of Mecca,
Saudi Arabia on November 6, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #


13
Thousands
of Muslim pilgrims arrive to throw pebbles at pillars during the
"Jamarat" ritual, the stoning of Satan, in Mina near the holy city of
Mecca, on November 6, 2011. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #


14
A
Saudi police officer monitors screens connected to cameras set up at
all the holy places in Mina near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, Saudi
Arabia on November 7, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #


15
Tents of Muslim pilgrims recede into the distance at Mina, Saudi Arabia on November 7, 2011. (Ammar Awad/Reuters) #


16
Hajj
pilgrims cry as they prepare to depart for Mecca from the Tribhuvan
International Airport in Kathmandu on October 18, 2011. (Navesh
Chitrakar/Reuters) #


17
Thai
Muslim pilgrims offer prayers before they depart for the annual Hajj
pilgrimage to Mecca at the Hat Yai International airport in southern
Thailand on October 5, 2011. (Muhammad Sabri/AFP/Getty Images) #


18
A
Palestinian woman looks out of a bus carrying Muslim pilgrims on their
way to the hajj in Mecca at the border between southern Gaza Strip and
Egypt in Rafah on October 14, 2011. (Eyad Baba/AP) #


19
Indonesian
pilgrims conduct a practice run of a religious ritual before a mock-up
of the Kabaa, Islam's holy shrine, at a training center in Jakarta as
part of final preparations before departing for the hajj pilgrimage in
Mecca on October 28, 2011. For the world's largest Muslim-majority
country with more than 200,000 pilgrims each year, the training is
crucial in preventing chaos and casualty in the holy land, officials
say. (Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images) #


20
Yemenis
shop at a market in Sanaa on November 3, 2011, in preparation for the
Eid al-Adha feast, or Feast of Sacrifice, which marks the end of the
annual hajj pilgrimage for Muslims worldwide. (Mohammed
Huwais/AFP/Getty Images) #


21
Pakistani
traders wait for customers to sell their livestock for the upcoming
Eid-al-Adha festival in a market in Islamabad, Pakistan on November 4,
2011. (/B.K.Bangash/AP) #


22
A
Kyrgyz vendor handles a sheep at the outdoor livestock market in
Bishkek on the eve of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, known locally as
Kurban Bairam, on November 5, 2011. (Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty
Images) #


23
A
man carries a sacrificial goat on sale at a market, ahead of the Eid
al-Adha feast, in Sanaa, Yemen on November 5, 2011. (Mohamed
al-Sayaghi/Reuters) #


24
A
Muslim boy attends a prayer session in celebration of the Eid al-Adha
festival inside the Golden Mosque in Manila on November 6, 2011.
(Cheryl Ravelo/Reuters) #


25
Russian
Muslims pray outside St. Petersburg's mosque during the first day of
the Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bairam) on November 6, 2011. (Olga
Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images) #


26
Palestinian
youngsters enjoy a carnival ride in the Palestinian Shatila refugee
camp in Beirut on November 6, 2011, as Muslims worldwide celebrate the
first day of Eid al-Adha. (Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images) #


27
A
Yemeni soldier who defected greets a fellow Muslim after attending
prayers on the first day of Eid al-Adha prayers in Sanaa on November 6,
2011. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images) #


28
Palestinians
arrive at Damascus Gate leading into the old city of Jerusalem on their
way to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site,
on November 6, 2011, on the first day of the Muslim festival of Eid
al-Adha. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images) #


29
Bangladeshi
passengers sit on the roof of a train as they head to their homes to
celebrate Eid al-Adha on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh on November
6, 2011. (Pavel Rahman/AP) #


30
Muslim
women attend prayer on the slopes of Mount Merapi (in the background)
to celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha in the village of Kalitengah
Lor outside city of Yogyakarta, Central Java on November 6, 2011. (Dwi
Oblo/Reuters) #


31
Ethnic
Turkish girls from the village of Cumpana, Romania perform traditional
dances in Bucharest on November 6, 2011, during celebrations of the
first day of Eid al-Adha. (Vadim Ghirda/AP) #


32
Anti-Khadafy
fighters visit the graves of their friends during Eid al-Adha
celebrations in Benghazi, Libya on November 6, 2011. (Esam
Al-Fetori/Reuters) #


33
Muslims
buy sheep in a bazaar in Linxia, in China's Gansu Province on November
6, 2011. Muslims in northwest China celebrated their traditional feast
of Corban Festival, or Eid al-Adha, meaning "Feast of Sacrifice" Sunday.
(Gao Jianjun/Xinhua/AP) #





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34
Pakistani
Muslims slaughter animals at a mosque in Lahore on November 7, 2011
during the Eid al-Adha celebrations. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images) #


35
Girls
attend prayers marking the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in Abuja,
Nigeria on November 6, 2011. (Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters) #


36
Muslim women perform Eid al-Adha prayers in Srinagar, Kashmir on November 7, 2011. (Danish Ismail/Reuters)#


37
An
Afghan vendor looks for customers on the second day of the Eid al-Adha
in Kabul, Afghanistan on November 7, 2011. (Muhammed Muheisen/AP)#


38
A
Muslim man attends a prayer session on Eid al-Adha in Tehran on
November 7, 2011. (Editor's note: Reuters and other foreign media are
subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take
pictures in Tehran.) (Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters) #


39
Residents
visit the grave of a relative at a cemetery during Eid-al-Adha in
Najaf, Iraq on November 7, 2011. (Ali Abu SHish/Reuters)#


40
Iranian
Sunni Muslim men try to slaughter a camel on Eid al-Adha in Siminshahr,
in a Sunni area of Iran, a country which is predominantly Shiite, on
November 7, 2011. (AP)#


41
A
young Indian Muslim girl gestures as others offer prayers during Eid
al-Adha in New Delhi, India on November 7, 2011. (Gurinder Osan/AP)#


42
A
young Indian Muslim boy smiles with a sacrificial goat on Eid-al-Adha
in Allahabad, India on November 7, 2011. (Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP)#