Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand Mosque on Tuesday during the annual hajj to the holy city of Mecca. Some 1.7 million people traveled to Saudi Arabia to take part in the rituals, which are the fifth pillar of Islam, or a religious duty that must be completed once in one's lifetime. "We are thrilled to be heading towards God's most sacred spots on earth," one woman heading to the city told news agency AFP.