Clad in white in the early morning sun, these extraordinary pictures capture moments of prayer, joy and rest as Muslim pilgrims climb Mount Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca.
Pilgrims in their hundreds of thousands thronged Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia from early morning for the climax of the annual hajj pilgrimage, arriving on foot, by train or in vehicles.
Eid al-Adha is the Muslim feast of sacrifice which marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Muslim pilgrims circle counterclockwise with their hearts tilted toward the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure that Muslims around the world face in prayer five times a day, in the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca
Hajj to the Saudi holy city of Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam and Eid al-Adha is celebrated in remembrance of Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to God.
Cows, camels, goats and sheep are traditionally slaughtered on this holy day.
