Muslims complete Hajj rituals with prayers on Arafat

Before dawn on Sunday, Muslim pilgrims from around the world began ascending a hill just outside Mecca where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon some 1,400 years ago.

The day spent on Mount Arafat is the pinnacle of the five-day hajj pilgrimage, which all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform at least once.

Muslims spend the day there in deep prayer, many openly weeping as they repent and ask God for forgiveness.

Prayer on this day at Mount Arafat, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Mecca, is believed to offer the best chance of erasing past sins and starting anew.

Many Muslims who are not performing the hajj fast from dawn to dusk on this day, for similar reasons.

Many of the roughly 2 million pilgrims taking part in this year's hajj will climb a hill called Jabal al-Rahma, or mountain of mercy, in Arafat and spend time there in supplication.

It was here where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon, calling for equality and for Muslims to unite.