Friday marks Eid-al-Adha, the close of the four-day annual pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslims around the world—at a moment of particular instability and havoc in parts of the Middle East and South Asia—will sit down on Friday for the ritual Feast of Sacrifice.
Muslim Pilgrims Converge on Mecca
FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP / Getty Images
Muslim pilgrims pray on Mount Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca, Oct. 25, 2012. Vast crowds of Muslim pilgrims, all dressed in white, flocked from early in the morning to Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia to take part in the main rituals of the annual hajj.
