The Kaaba sits at the center of the sacred al-Haram Mosque in Saudi Arabia. It plays an essential role in the rite of the hajj, the pilgrimage that Muslims make to Mecca, which begins today.

Saudis pray by the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on Sunday. AFP - Getty Images / AFP - Getty Images “All of Mecca is happy today, it’s like the end of a jail term.

Muslim pilgrims pray outside Namira mosque in Arafat, on the second and most significant day of the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015.

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims in Mecca in Saudi Arabia are circling the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, as they prepare for the official start of the Hajj. The pilgrimage is one of ...

An African Muslim pilgrim carries her luggages as she circumambulates around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, in the Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca, Tuesday, July 5, 2022.

Some 2 million Muslim pilgrims officially began the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Monday, making their way out of Mecca after circling Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, and converging on a vast tent ...

Muslims around the world direct to Kaaba in their prayers. SPA Cairo: Saudi and foreign officials attended the annual washing of the Holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Mecca.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia --High winds were to blame for the toppling of a massive crane that smashed into Mecca's Grand Mosque and killed at least 107 people ahead of the start of the annual hajj ...

A dramatically scaled-down hajj pilgrimage got under way in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with Muslim worshipers confined to small groups to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Kaaba is a cubical stone structure located in the center of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, the holiest site of Islam. In 8 AH (629-630 AD), Prophet Mohammad covered the Kaaba with a Yemeni cloth.

Muslim pilgrims in Mecca in Saudi Arabia are circling the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, as they prepare for the official start of the Hajj. Samy Magdy. Thursday 13 June 2024 15:19 BST.