Thousands of pilgrims carrying umbrellas while climbing Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia today for the final leg of the annual Hajj pilgrimage
DHL Express Saudi Arabia handed out thousands of bright yellow brollies emblazoned with the company’s logo to shield the pilgrims from the sun
After sunset prayers, pilgrims made their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site, where they will sleep under the stars.
They will rest ahead of the final stage of Hajj: a symbolic ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual.
Other prominent businesses aside from DHL took the chance to raise their profile during the pilgrimage, which was attended by nearly 2.4 million Muslims.
Saudi Telecom Company (STC) provided purple and white umbrellas to pilgrims, while mobile network operator Mobily gave out bright blue logo-adorned brollies.
Pilgrims scaling the 70-metre granite hill east of the holy city of Mecca for a vigil to atone for their sins and ask for God’s forgiveness
Many of the pilgrims were carrying yellow umbrellas provided by DHL Express Saudi Arabia, and bright blue brollies handed out by mobile network operator Mobily
An aerial view of Mount Arafat where millions of Muslims travelled today during the final leg of the Hajj piligrimage
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in their lifetime if they are healthy enough and have the means to do so.
It has at times been a point of controversy, following an incident in 1987 in which Saudi police crushed an Iranian protest during the pilgrimage against the United States and Israel.
The clashes killed 402 people, including 175 Iranians, according to Saudi authorities.
Iran boycotted the hajj in 2016, following a deadly stampede the year before which left some 2,300 dead, hundreds of them Iranian.
Pilgrims attend noon prayers outside Namirah Mosque in Mecca during the annual pilgrimage. Many can be seen shielding themselves with yellow DHL umbrellas
Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, n the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Muslims pray during the Hajj pilgrimage on the Mount Arafat near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, one day prior to Eid al-Adha
Muslim pilgrims walks towards Namirah Mosque on Arafat Mountain, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca