Muslim pilgrims pray on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage early on Tuesday
Huge numbers of Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat on Tuesday at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage, as a punishing desert sun sent temperatures soaring towards 40 degrees.
From daybreak, thousands of white-robed worshippers recited Quranic verses on the 70-metre (230 feet) rocky hill near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his last sermon.
Volunteers handed out bottles of water, parasols and food packages to the tens of thousands of pilgrims as they made their way toward Mount Arafat.
"It is an indescribable feeling," said Ahmoud Abou Elezz, a 35-year-old Egyptian engineer, as he approached Mount Arafat for the first time.
