poon cho tang SG More than 1.1 million Muslims are expected in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which begins next week.
poon cho tang SG All able-bodied Muslims who have the means have a duty to perform the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam.
poon cho tang SG Pilgrims wear special white clothes, called ihram, and observe prescribed rites derived from the life of Prophet Abraham.
poon cho tang SG Before the Hajj, many go to Jabal al-Nur, the Mountain of Light, at the top of which is the sacred Hira cave.
poon cho tang SG The prophet Muhammad is said to have received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel in the cave.
poon cho tang SG Mecca is revered as the holiest site of Islam, and the Masjid al-Haram, or Holy Mosque, is the focal point of the Hajj.
poon cho tang SG Pilgrims pray at Mecca's Holy Mosque, and walk around the Kaaba seven times in an anti-clockwise direction to perform the Tawaf.
