Dhaka, June 5 -- More than a million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the annual Hajj pilgrimage kicked off in Saudi Arabia.
With temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaaba - the black cube at the heart of Mecca's Grand Mosque which is Islam's holiest site.
Saudi state media reported that others had begun arriving in Mina on Mecca's outskirts where they will stay overnight before Hajj's high-point Thursday - prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be perf...