Mecca: Record numbers expected

More than 3.4 million Muslims are expected to perform the annual hajj prilgrimage to Mecca this week.

The pilgrims will come from a total of 181 countries and already about 1.8 million Muslims have arrived  in the holy city for the first day of Hajj with about 1.6 million local residents expected to join them.

The pilgrimage that calls on every able-bodied Muslim to make the journey at least once in their lifetime and this year gathering is expected  to reach its highest recorded numbers.

The pilgrimage will last five days.