Pilgrims began on Saturday morning stoning the Great Jamarat Al-Aqaba in Mina near the city of Mecca, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, marking the conclusion of the most prominent rituals of this year's Hajj pilgrimage, which is the largest during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the early morning hours, groups of worshippers have been making their way through the valley of Mina in western Saudi Arabia to throw seven stones at a model representing the temptation of Satan. After completing this, the pilgrim proceeds to slaughter the sacrificial animal and then either shaves or trims their hair.

The pilgrims later head to Mecca to perform the Tawaf al-Ifadah, which is one of the pillars of Hajj, then they return to Mina to spend the days of Tashreeq during which they throw the three Jamarat. Pilgrims can leave after stoning the Great Jamrah if they have a valid reason.

In 2019, about 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world participated. But this number dropped to a few thousand in 2020 and to 60,000 in 2021 as the Kingdom tried to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. This year, the number of participants reached one million, including 850,000 from abroad, for the first time since 2019.

After the stoning rituals, pilgrims return to the Grand Mosque in Mecca to perform the "Farewell Tawaf" around the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque.

On Friday, pilgrims spent their day praying and supplicating on Mount Arafat, the climax of the Hajj rituals.

Groups of worshippers carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun’s rays, and recited verses from the Quran at the plain of Arafat. After sunset, they headed to Muzdalifah where they stayed outdoors before beginning the "stoning of Satan".