The annual five-day Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia known as hajj is officially over.

Khalid al-Faisal, governor of Makkah, announced Sunday the formal end of the pilgrimage at a news conference in the holy city.

Haj draws people from around the world to Saudi Arabia each year. The crowds, squeezed shoulder to shoulder in prayer five times a day, fill the city of Makkah and surrounding areas to perform a number of physically demanding and intricate rites.

The pilgrimage is required once in a lifetime of all Muslims with the means to go. Its goal is remission of past sins and drawing Muslims closer to God.

The governor said no accidents were reported this year. In the past, construction accidents, disease and stampedes have harmed and killed pilgrims.

Source: Khaleej Times