By Ali Abo Rezeg

(AA): Nearly two million Muslims from around the world Thursday ascended Mount Arafat, near the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, to mark the climax of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Pilgrims flocked to Arafat Thursday morning after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the tent city of Mina, which marked the first leg of their five-day long Hajj.

The pilgrims would spend the day on the Arafat plateau in supplicating to God to forgive their sins. They then would descend back to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina. They would go back to Mina, where they will take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil.

After the stoning on Friday, pilgrims would sacrifice animals to mark the four-day Eid al-Adha, which begins on the same day.

The Hajj ritual is the “fifth pillar” of the Islamic faith, one that must be performed by Muslims — if financially viable — at least once.

Over the course of the last month, hundreds of thousands of Muslims have converged on Saudi Arabia from all over the world to perform this year’s pilgrimage.

[Photo:  Prospective pilgrims are seen climbing Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahmah (Mount of Mercy), near Makkah, Saudi Arabia on August 31, 2017, ahead of the climax of hajj. Photographer: Fırat Yurdakul/AA]