HAJJ-SAUDI ARABIA BY MOHAMMAD KHEIRKHAH

Pictures of Mohammad Kheirkhah, Iranian photographer from Mecca during Hajj Season in Saudi Arabia, 2008. Visit www.kheirkhah.ir for more information.

Chanting "at Thy service, my God, at Thy service." Draped in white robes to symbolize purity and the equality of mankind under God, nearly 3 million Muslims from all over the world gathered in Mecca. Men, wearing two-piece seamless white robes, and women, covered head to foot except for their hands and faces, circled the sacred Ka'baa stone structure seven times at the Grand Mosque, which Muslims face during their five daily prayers. The pilgrims, after shaving their heads, slaughter a camel, sheep or cow to celebrate the beginning of the Eid al-Adha, or the "Feast of the Sacrifice." The holiday commemorates a story celebrated by Muslims, Jews and Christians in which God asked the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son to prove his faith, but then in the end offered a sheep to kill instead and is considered the most important holiday in the Islamic calendar. The Hajj is packed with symbolism and ritual aimed at cleansing the soul of sin.

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