A journey through Hajj, Islam's special pilgrimage

For the 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, the Hajj is a spiritual pinnacle. Each year, up to three million pilgrims descend on the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca -- the epicenter of the Muslim world -- to seek redemption, to forgive and to be forgiven.

Wrapped in white cloth, worshippers embark on the five-day pilgrimage, considered one of the five pillars of Islam. All Muslims who are physically and financially able are required to make the journey to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

Entering Mecca
Many Muslim pilgrims, known as hajjis, converge on the city weeks before the start of the Hajj rituals.
Worshippers wear special white garments -- men wrap themselves in seamless, stitchless cloth, while women wear a simple white dress and headscarf. The clothing is said to symbolize human equality and unity before God.
Pilgrims begin the Hajj with a circular, counter-clockwise procession around the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure that Muslims believe the Prophet Abraham from the Old Testament constructed. It's the most sacred shrine of Islam.
The Prophet Muhammed made the first Islamic pilgrimage in the year 628 AD, when he set out to Mecca with 1,400 of his followers. Though Mecca is considered to be a city for all Muslims, non-Muslims are denied entry at all times.
Saudi authorities manage the entry and exit of pilgrims through strict visa applications and have a dedicated Hajj ministry, employing 40,000 workers. In the last ten years, 24 million Hajj pilgrims have visited the city. Thousands of civil servants are deployed to the pilgrimage each year.