Muslim pilgrims scale Mount Arafat for peak of hajj

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia: Muslim pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Monday for the climax of the annual hajj which brings together more than two million people from around the world.

Carrying brightly coloured umbrellas under the blazing sun, a sea of worshippers scaled the rocky hill southeast of the holy city of Mecca for a day of prayers and repentance.

Arms raised, pilgrims repeated "There is no God but Allah" and "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest).

"The feeling is indescribable," said Umm Ahmad, 61, who made the trip from Egypt.

Some of the pilgrims -- men in white seamless garments and women in loose dresses -- pushed elderly relatives in wheelchairs on the second day of the hajj, one of the world´s largest annual gatherings.

Muslims believe Prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon on Mount Arafat, where Muslim pilgrims gather every year from across the globe to atone for their sins.

"It feels great," said 37-year-old Pakistani Jai Saleem.

"I have always seen this area, since my childhood, in photographs and on television," he said, adding that he cried when he and his wife arrived on Mount Arafat.