Eid al-Adha : Saudi Arabia's Hajj pilgrimage in pictures

Almost two million Muslims made the Hajj pilgrimage this week, despite stampedes causing the deaths of more than 2000 people last year. Photographer Nariman El-Mofty captured the faithful on the first day of Eid in Mina

Mecca is the holiest site in the world for Muslims. Every year Muslims make the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and circle the shrine, known as the Kaaba, seven times and then touch it (AP)

In Saudi Arabia, close to 2 million pilgrims performed on Monday one of the final rites of the Islamic hajj pilgrimage, the symbolic stoning of the devil, as Muslims worldwide marked the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

The rite takes place in the Saudi valley area of Mina, where a crush of crowds and stampede killed more than 2,400 people during last year's hajj, according to an Associated Press count.

On Monday, younger pilgrims helped their parents, some in wheelchairs, make their way toward the massive multi-story Jamarat Complex in Mina where pilgrims cast pebbles at three large columns.

It is here where Muslims believe the devil tried to talk the Prophet Ibrahim out of submitting to God's will.

Muslims circle the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (AP)

Most pilgrims will remain in Mina until Wednesday, performing the stoning ritual for three days and sleeping in tents at night before completing the hajj.

While circling the Kaaba, Muslims try to touch Maqam Ibrahim or The Station of Abraham, the golden glass structure top right, at the Grand Mosque (AP)

The five-day-long hajj is a series of rituals meant to cleanse the soul of sins and instill a sense of equality and brotherhood among Muslims. All able-bodied Muslims are required to perform the hajj once in their lives.

While following a route the Prophet Muhammad once walked, the rites are believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail – Abraham and Ishmael in the Bible.

The cube-shaped shrine, at the center of Mecca's Grand Mosque, is where the world's 1.6 billion Muslims pray towards five times a day (AP)

Over the years, the Saudi government has spent billions of dollars to improve the safety of the pilgrimage, particularly in Mina where some of the deadliest incidents have occurred, including last year's tragedy.

Families help the less able and elderly to circle the shine, as the religion depicts every Muslim should visit the site at least one in their life (AP)

Since then, Saudi authorities have widened narrow streets in Mina that lead to the large pedestrian paths around the Jamarat Complex. Banners in the street advised the massive crowds to “avoid overcrowding and pushing.”

Muslims believe Ibrahim's faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then God stayed his hand, sparing his son. In the Christian and Jewish version of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac.

To reach the shrine, pilgrims must enter through the Grand Mosque (AP)

The final days of hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice,” to commemorate Ibrahim's test of faith. For the holiday, which ends on Thursday, Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor.

The golden door, which pilgrims are seen touching, is part of the holi shrine (AP)

During the last three days of hajj, male pilgrims shave their heads and remove the terrycloth white garments worn during the hajj. Women cut off a small lock of hair in a sign of spiritual rebirth and renewal.

Pilgrims also circle the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca, Islam's most sacred site. The Kaaba represents the metaphorical house of God and the oneness of God in Islam. Observant Muslims around the world face toward the Kaaba during the five daily prayers.

“You realize the mercy of Allah, that we are here to seek his forgiveness and that this hajj, God willing, will make a change in my life where I can change and become a better Muslim,” said Canadian pilgrim Assad Yakoub.