Makkah, May 25 -- More than 1.5 million pilgrims from around the world arrived in Mina from early on Monday, May 25, to mark the Day of Tarwiyah, signalling the beginning of the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Amid temperatures reaching 43 degrees Celsius, pilgrims travelled by foot and bus from Makkah to Mina, located about five kilometres from the Grand Mosque, as they prepared for the main rituals of Haj.

The arrival of pilgrims unfolded in a spiritual atmosphere filled with recitations of the Talbiyah, Tasbih and Takbir, following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.

Social media footage showed large streams of white-clad pilgrims moving steadily towards Mina under extensive organisational and security arrangements implemented by...