SHOTLIST MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA (JUNE 9, 2025) (ANADOLU-ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF PILGRIMS PERFORMING TAWAF AROUND KAABA AT MASJID AL-HARAM (GRAND MOSQUE), SOME PRAYINGMECCA, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 9: Millions of Muslims from around the world are preparing to depart from the holy city of Mecca after successfully completing the rituals of Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage. The pilgrims performed the "farewell tawaf" (Tawaf al-Wada) around the Kaaba, marking the conclusion of their spiritual journey. The pilgrims, who arrived from various countries, fulfilled their religious obligations with devotion, including standing in prayer at the plains of Arafat and Muzdalifah on the eve of Eid al-Adha. They then proceeded to Jamarat, where they symbolically stoned the three pillars representing Satan, starting with the largest pillar, known as the "Aqaba Jamrah" or "great devil." After the stoning ritual, the pilgrims performed the "visiting tawaf" (Tawaf al-Ziyarah) and Sa'i—walking between the hills of Safa and Marwah—completing essential rites of Hajj. They also sacrificed animals, either personally or through authorized proxies, shaved their heads, and exited the state of ihram, officially attaining the status of Hajji (pilgrim). On the second and third days of Eid al-Adha, the pilgrims returned to Jamarat to stone all three pillars in sequence—the small, medium, and large—reaffirming their rejection of evil. With most Hajj rituals now complete, the pilgrims made their way back to the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) to perform the farewell tawaf, a final circumambulation of the Kaaba before leaving Mecca. Writing by Sibel Uygun