Hajj pilgrims pray on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat - in pictures

More than 1.5 million Muslims in Saudi Arabia for annual pilgrimage

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  Muslim pilgrims offer prayers at top of Mount Arafat during the Hajj. AP

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  The Day of Arafat traditionally marks the high point of the Hajj. AP

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  Muslim pilgrims offer prayers at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo / Amr Nabil)

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  Cooling fans spray water over pilgrims. AP

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  Pilgrims gather on Mount Arafat. Reuters

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  Pilgrims on their way to Mount Arafat. AFP

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  People were up early on the Day of Arafat after Saudi Arabia's Minister for the Hajj advised them to avoid peak heat hours. AFP

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  More than a million people converged on Makkah for the start of the annual pilgrimage on Wednesday. AFP

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  Saudi security forces pray in Mina, near Makkah. AFP

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  More pilgrims on their way to Mount Arafat. AFP

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  For many Muslims, completing the Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. AFP

Pilgrims prayed on Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, as officials called on devotees to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day.

Thousands of pilgrims began to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.

While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, carrying colourful umbrellas, many pilgrims will remain for prayers and Quran recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the hajj.

After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic "stoning of the devil".

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