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Sacred pilgrimage begins for Muslims
Associated Press
Published January 9, 2006
MINA, Saudi Arabia - More than 2-million Muslims raised their hands to heaven and chanted in unison Sunday as they hiked through a desert valley to the outskirts of Mecca in preparation for Islam's annual sacred pilgrimage.
The journey through the 8-mile-long valley puts the pilgrims from around the globe in place for the start of hajj rituals today. The march takes them along the steps of the prophet Mohammed, who gave his last sermon on Mount Arafat in 632.
The hajj rituals begin with the circling of the Kaaba, the huge black cube in the center of Mecca's Grand Mosque, which Muslims around the world face when they offer their prayers five times daily.
Today the pilgrims move to Mount Arafat, offering prayers of repentance and asking for salvation and spiritual renewal. They carry out the symbolic stoning of the devil Tuesday.
To prevent stampedes that have killed hundreds during the stoning ritual, the Saudis have made changes, including enlarging the three pillars representing the devil, allowing more people to pelt them with pebbles at once.
[Last modified January 9, 2006, 00:57:08]
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