The Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam and one of the largest religious pilgrimages in the world, is currently taking place in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Starting earlier this week, and continuing through Monday, approximately 3.4 million Muslims from around the world are participating in several rituals, including the Tawaf -- the circumambulation of the Kaaba, the enormous cube-shaped building in the center of the Masjid al-Haram mosque. The pilgrims are are also taking part in the Sa'i, traveling back and forth between the mountains of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, and Ramy al-Jamarat, in which they throw pebbles at three walls in the city of Mina to show their defiance of the Devil. The rituals and locations date back to the 7th Century, but much of the surrounding area has grown and changed radically over the years. For comparison, I've included several historical images of Mecca as well, dating back as far as 1889. The rest of the photos depict this year's Hajj and the pilgrims on their sacred journey.
Hajj 2012, a Sacred Journey
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Muslim pilgrims pray at the top of Mount Noor, near where the Hiraa cave is located on the outskirts of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on October 21, 2012. The annual Islamic pilgrimage draws three million visitors each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people in the world. #
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(1 of 4) For context, a series of historical images of the Hajj. Here, in 1889, pilgrims gather in the Valley of Mina, just outside Mecca with tents, camels, and livestock. #
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The Grand Mosque (bottom) and four-faced Mecca Clock Tower (left), viewed from the top of Mount Noor where Muslims believe Prophet Mohammad received the first words of the Koran through Gabriel in the Hera Cave, in Mecca, on October 21, 2012. #
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Muslim pilgrims climb Mount Noor where Muslims believe Prophet Mohammad received the first words of the Koran through Gabriel, during the annual Hajj in Mecca, on October 21, 2012. #
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Pilgrims pray outside the Grand mosque in Mecca, on October 22, 2012. The annual Islamic pilgrimage draws three million visitors each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people in the world. #
AP Photo/Hassan Ammar -
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The four-faced Mecca Clock Tower, with characters that read "There is no god only the God, and Mohammed is his prophet" before the moon, in Mecca, on October 22, 2012. #
Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh -
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Muslims perform the noon prayer outside the Namira mosque in the plain of Arafat on the outskirts of Mecca, on October 25, 2012. Vast crowds of Muslim pilgrims, all dressed in white, flocked from early in the morning to Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia's west to take part in the main rituals of the annual Hajj. #
Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images
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