The Hajj and Eid al-Adha
The Hajj pilgrimage draws millions of Muslims from around the world every year to Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam's holiest place. Saudi Arabia expects to host perhaps three million people in a ritual journey that every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make at least once in their lifetime. It is the largest annual gathering of humanity anywhere. Timed to the Muslim lunar calendar, the Hajj is followed by the celebrations of the three-day festival of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, which symbolizes Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. Collected here are photographs of the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as well as images of preparations for the Hajj and Eid al-Adha in many other parts of the Muslim world.
A Muslim pilgrim prays as visits the Hiraa cave at the top of Noor Mountain on the outskirts of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 2, 2011. According to tradition, Islam's Prophet Mohammed received his first message to preach Islam while he was praying in the cave. (Hassan Ammar/AP)
2Muslim pilgrims climb a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy on the Plain of Arafat near Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 5, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #
3Tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims move around the Kaaba (center) inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 3, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #
4Tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims pray inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 4, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #
5The Mecca CLock Tower dominates the city as Muslim pilgrims walking around the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of the holy city of Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage rituals on November 7, 2011. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #
6Muslim pilgrims wait in line as they arrive at Jeddah airport on October 30, 2011 before going to the Saudi holy city of Mecca, where they will take part in the annual Hajj or pilgrimage. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #
7Muslim pilgrims pose for a picture as they rest in a street near the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on November 3, 2011. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #
8Tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims move around the Kaaba (center) inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 3, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #
9Birds fly over Muslim pilgrims near the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on November 3, 2011. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #
10Muslim pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy on the Plain of Arafat near Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 5, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #
11Muslim pilgrims cast stones at a pillar, symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called "Jamarat," the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 6, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #
12Muslim pilgrims protect their heads from stones thrown by others at a pillar, symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called "Jamarat," the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 6, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #
13Thousands of Muslim pilgrims arrive to throw pebbles at pillars during the "Jamarat" ritual, the stoning of Satan, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, on November 6, 2011. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) #
14A Saudi police officer monitors screens connected to cameras set up at all the holy places in Mina near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 7, 2011. (Hassan Ammar/AP) #
15Tents of Muslim pilgrims recede into the distance at Mina, Saudi Arabia on November 7, 2011. (Ammar Awad/Reuters) #
16Hajj pilgrims cry as they prepare to depart for Mecca from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on October 18, 2011. (Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters) #
17Thai Muslim pilgrims offer prayers before they depart for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at the Hat Yai International airport in southern Thailand on October 5, 2011. (Muhammad Sabri/AFP/Getty Images) #
18A Palestinian woman looks out of a bus carrying Muslim pilgrims on their way to the hajj in Mecca at the border between southern Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah on October 14, 2011. (Eyad Baba/AP) #
19Indonesian pilgrims conduct a practice run of a religious ritual before a mock-up of the Kabaa, Islam's holy shrine, at a training center in Jakarta as part of final preparations before departing for the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca on October 28, 2011. For the world's largest Muslim-majority country with more than 200,000 pilgrims each year, the training is crucial in preventing chaos and casualty in the holy land, officials say. (Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images) #
20Yemenis shop at a market in Sanaa on November 3, 2011, in preparation for the Eid al-Adha feast, or Feast of Sacrifice, which marks the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage for Muslims worldwide. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images) #
21Pakistani traders wait for customers to sell their livestock for the upcoming Eid-al-Adha festival in a market in Islamabad, Pakistan on November 4, 2011. (/B.K.Bangash/AP) #
22A Kyrgyz vendor handles a sheep at the outdoor livestock market in Bishkek on the eve of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, known locally as Kurban Bairam, on November 5, 2011. (Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images) #
23A man carries a sacrificial goat on sale at a market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha feast, in Sanaa, Yemen on November 5, 2011. (Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters) #
24A Muslim boy attends a prayer session in celebration of the Eid al-Adha festival inside the Golden Mosque in Manila on November 6, 2011. (Cheryl Ravelo/Reuters) #
25Russian Muslims pray outside St. Petersburg's mosque during the first day of the Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bairam) on November 6, 2011. (Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images) #
26Palestinian youngsters enjoy a carnival ride in the Palestinian Shatila refugee camp in Beirut on November 6, 2011, as Muslims worldwide celebrate the first day of Eid al-Adha. (Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images) #
27A Yemeni soldier who defected greets a fellow Muslim after attending prayers on the first day of Eid al-Adha prayers in Sanaa on November 6, 2011. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images) #
28Palestinians arrive at Damascus Gate leading into the old city of Jerusalem on their way to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, on November 6, 2011, on the first day of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images) #
29Bangladeshi passengers sit on the roof of a train as they head to their homes to celebrate Eid al-Adha on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 6, 2011. (Pavel Rahman/AP) #
30Muslim women attend prayer on the slopes of Mount Merapi (in the background) to celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha in the village of Kalitengah Lor outside city of Yogyakarta, Central Java on November 6, 2011. (Dwi Oblo/Reuters) #
31Ethnic Turkish girls from the village of Cumpana, Romania perform traditional dances in Bucharest on November 6, 2011, during celebrations of the first day of Eid al-Adha. (Vadim Ghirda/AP) #
32Anti-Khadafy fighters visit the graves of their friends during Eid al-Adha celebrations in Benghazi, Libya on November 6, 2011. (Esam Al-Fetori/Reuters) #
33Muslims buy sheep in a bazaar in Linxia, in China's Gansu Province on November 6, 2011. Muslims in northwest China celebrated their traditional feast of Corban Festival, or Eid al-Adha, meaning "Feast of Sacrifice" Sunday. (Gao Jianjun/Xinhua/AP) #
34Pakistani Muslims slaughter animals at a mosque in Lahore on November 7, 2011 during the Eid al-Adha celebrations. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images) #
35Girls attend prayers marking the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in Abuja, Nigeria on November 6, 2011. (Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters) #
36Muslim women perform Eid al-Adha prayers in Srinagar, Kashmir on November 7, 2011. (Danish Ismail/Reuters)#
37An Afghan vendor looks for customers on the second day of the Eid al-Adha in Kabul, Afghanistan on November 7, 2011. (Muhammed Muheisen/AP)#
38A Muslim man attends a prayer session on Eid al-Adha in Tehran on November 7, 2011. (Editor's note: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.) (Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters) #
39Residents visit the grave of a relative at a cemetery during Eid-al-Adha in Najaf, Iraq on November 7, 2011. (Ali Abu SHish/Reuters)#
40Iranian Sunni Muslim men try to slaughter a camel on Eid al-Adha in Siminshahr, in a Sunni area of Iran, a country which is predominantly Shiite, on November 7, 2011. (AP)#
41A young Indian Muslim girl gestures as others offer prayers during Eid al-Adha in New Delhi, India on November 7, 2011. (Gurinder Osan/AP)#
42A young Indian Muslim boy smiles with a sacrificial goat on Eid-al-Adha in Allahabad, India on November 7, 2011.
In preparation for Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha also called Feast of the Sacrifice, is an important 3-day religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honor the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail (Ishmael) a as an act of submission to God and his son's acceptance of the sacrifice, before God intervened to provide Abraham with a ram to sacrifice instead. The 3 days and 2 nights of Eid al-Adha are celebrated annually on the 10th, 11th and 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth and last month of the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid begins today.
A livestock market ahead of the sacrificial Eid al-Adha festival in Karachi, Oct. 24, 2012. Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, honors Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael on the order of God, who according to tradition then provided a lamb in the boy's place. (Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images)
2Pakistanis walk in a livestock market set up in a field, for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or "Feast of Sacrifice", during sunset, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 24, 2012. (Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press)#
3A sheep waits to be sold at a market ahead of Eid al-Adha festival in Srinagar, India, Oct. 23,2012. Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels or cows. The slaughter commemorates the biblical story of Prophet Abraham, who was on the verge of sacrificing his son to obey God's command when God interceded by substituting a ram in the child's place. (Mukhtar Khan/Associated Press)#
4Camels are displayed for sale at a market, for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, in Karachi, Pakistan, Oct. 24, 2012. (Shakil Adil/Associated Press)#
5A boy dances with a sheep at a livestock market ahead of Eid al-Adha festival in Sanaa, Oct. 24, 2012. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command. (Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)#
6A sheep is weighed at a market ahead of Eid al-Adha festival in Srinagar, India, Oct. 23, 2012. (Mukhtar Khan/Associated Press)#
7A boy holds a sheep as he waits for customers at a livestock market in Kabul, October 23, 2012. Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Adha. (Mohammad Ismail/Reuters)#
8An Egyptian child stands between a cluster of sheep on a sidewalk, offered for sale in preparation for Eid al-Adha, one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar, in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 21, 2012. (Nasser Nasser/Associated Press)#
9Children sit among livestock at a market in Lagos, Nigeria, Oct. 23, 2012. Muslims worldwide will celebrate Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, commemorating God's provision of a ram to substitute for Abraham's impending sacrifice of his son, where able Muslims offer either a goat, sheep, cow, buffalo, or camel during the feast rituals. (Sunday Alamba/Associated Press)#
10An Afghan boy holds a rope tied to a cow to bring it to sell at a livestock market for the upcoming Eid al-Adha festival in Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 24, 2012. (Musadeq Sadeq/Associated Press)#
11An Afghan animal seller sprays color on the head of his sheep to have him recognized at a livestock market for the upcoming Eid al-Adha festival in Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 24, 2012. (Musadeq Sadeq/Associated Press)#
12An Egyptian butcher holds a sheep on a sidewalk, part of a cluster of sheep that is offered for sale in preparation for Eid al-Adha, one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar in Cairo, Egypt. Egyptians are feeling the squeeze from 19 months of political turmoil that have gutted the nation's economy and brought home the meaning of the four-day Festival of Sacrifice, which begins Friday. (Nasser Nasser/Associated Press)#
13Camels are fed at a livestock market ahead of the upcoming Muslim Eid al-Adha festival near the West Bank town of Jenin, Oct. 24, 2012. Muslims will celebrate Eid al Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, on Oct. 27, by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows or camels. (Mohammed Ballas/Associated Press)#
14Palestinians gather at a sheep market in Behtlehem, Oct. 24, 2012, ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha or "Feast of the Sacrifice." (Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images)#
15An Egyptian child looks at animal parts displayed for sale at an open air butcher's shop, in preparation for Eid al-Adha, one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar, at a sidewalk in Cairo, Egypt. Egyptians are feeling the squeeze from 19 months of political turmoil that have gutted the nation's economy and brought home the meaning of the four-day Festival of Sacrifice. (Nasser Nasser/Associated Press)#
16An Egyptian butcher displays meat for sale at an open air butcher's shop with Arabic that reads, "buffalo 44," in preparation for Eid al-Adha, one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar, at a side walk in Cairo, Egypt. (Nasser Nasser/Associated Press)#
17Afghan shoppers throng the Mandave main market in downtown Kabul, Oct. 23, 2012, ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice) is celebrated throughout the Muslim world. The festival falls on the tenth day of Zulhijjah, the final month of the Muslim Calendar. (Jawad Jalali/AFP/Getty Images)#
18A Pakistani man is reflected in a mirror while trying on a traditional hat, as he and others buy new clothes for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or "Feast of Sacrifice", in Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 24, 2012. (Mohammad Sajjad/Associated Press)#
19People shop for new clothes ahead of the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 24, 2012. It is part of tradition to buy and wear new clothes during Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice. (Hadi Mizban/Associated Press)#
20A man buys nuts ahead of Eid al-Adha festival in Sanaa, Oct. 24, 2012. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha. (Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)#
21A woman prepares cakes for the oven ahead of Eid al-Adha festival in Sanaa, Oct. 24, 2012. (Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)#
22Afghan women shop at a market ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Adha, in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 24, 2012. (Rahmat Gul/Associated Press)#
23People shop for new clothes ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 24, 2012. (Hadi Mizban/Associated Press)#
24People shop ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 24, 2012. (Hadi Mizban/Associated Press)#
25An Afghan man sells traditional sweets ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Adha in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 24, 2012. (Rahmat Gul/Associated Press)#
26An Afghan candy seller waits for customers in downtown Kabul, Oct. 23, 2012, ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice) is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God. The festival falls on the tenth day of Zulhijjah, the final month of the Muslim Calendar and cows, camels, goats and sheep are traditionally slaughtered on the holiest day. (Jawad Jalali/AFP/Getty Images)#
27An Afghan shopkeeper arranges burqas at his store in downtown Kabul, Oct. 23, 2012, ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha, celebrated throughout the Muslim world. (Jawad Jalali/AFP/Getty Images)#
28An Afghan woman buys dried fruits at the Mandave main market in downtown Kabul, Oct. 23, 2012, ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. (Jawad Jalali/AFP/Getty Images)#
29An Afghan woman buys goods at the Mandave main market in downtown Kabul, Oct. 23, 2012. (Jawad Jalali/AFP/Getty Images)#
30Vendors sell blankets at the Mandave main market in downtown Kabul, Oct. 23, 2012. (Jawad Jalali/AFP/Getty Images)#
31An Afghan baker cooks traditional cookies at a factory in the city of Jalalabad, Oct. 23, 2012 ahead of the Muslim feast. (Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images)#
32Pedestrians walk toward home along a dusty road in downtown Kabul, Oct. 23, 2012, ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.