More than 1.5 million pilgrims, from Europe, Africa, and Asia, are gathered in Mecca for the annual pilgrimage to the holy city. They are braving scorching heat and long desert marches, and risk the dangers of cholera and small-pox. Some have come on foot, some on camels, and some in trains; but all are pressing forward, eager to stand within the sacred precincts and to wash away their sins in the waters of Zem Zem. Mecca was founded in 620 A.D., and has ever since been the goal of faithful Moslems. Mecca, in the opinion of devout Moslems, is the Gate of Paradise, and the pilgrimage to it a sure passport to eternal bliss. The ceremonies performed there are held to be not only spiritually beneficial, but legally binding, and are indispensable to salvation. The rites prescribed to be observed by the pilgrims are numerous; but the most important are prayer, bathing in the sacred well of Zem Zem, and visiting the Caaba, or cube-shaped building, which the pilgrims are taught to believe was erected by the angels. The Caaba contains the famous black stone, said to have been brought from heaven by Gabriel, and it is kissed by all true believers. The ceremonies over, the pilgrims return to their homes, with the pleasing consciousness of having fulfilled a religious duty.
Original dispatch: More than 1.5 million pilgrims brave fierce Mecca heat ahead of Hajj