Annual Pilgrimage to Mecca Concludes
More than 2 million Muslims concluded the annual pilgrimage to Mecca with a farewell visit to the Grand Mosque, where they were shepherded by thousands of security officers anxious to avoid a repeat of a stampede that left 14 people dead Tuesday.
Before a final ritual of walking seven times around the Kaaba, a holy stone cube, the pilgrims performed the symbolic stoning of the devil. They threw seven small pebbles at three gray stone pillars amid chants of “Allahu akbar!” or “God is great!” symbolically rejecting the devil’s earthly temptations.
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