Muslims descended on the Mina valley Tuesday to mark the third day of the hajj, known as the Eid al-Adha or 'Festival of Sacrifice'. Pilgrims hurled pebbles at the 30-metre long structure the longest of three walls said to symbolise the devil, also referred to as Iblis. Some three million pilgrims are taking part in this year's hajj, the world's largest annual pilgrimage that retraces the route taken by the Prophet Mohammad 14 centuries ago. Most arrived in the central western Saudi Arabia tent town Mina overnight, after returning from rituals marking the peak of the hajj on Monday at nearby Mount Arafah.
The Eid al-Adha festival is also usually marked by the ritual of sacrificing an animal, usually a lamb.
Pilgrims then head to the holy city of Mecca, some five kilometres west of Mina, to perform Tawaf. The hajj ends Friday.
(Going to Mecca now is easy, by planes. During the 60s and 70s, chartered ships were used and it took about three to four months before the pilgrims were back in Malaysia after completing the hajj).
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