Makkah, May 27 (QNA) - Thousands of Muslim pilgrims arrived in Mina at dawn on Wednesday to perform the symbolic stoning of the Jamrat Al-Aqaba, a key ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Pilgrims made their way from Muzdalifah to the vast tent city of Mina, near the Saudi holy city of Makkah, where authorities reported smooth crowd movement at the Jamarat complex as worshipers carried out the ritual.

The stoning ceremony commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's rejection of satan's temptations and follows the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad. Pilgrims throw pebbles at the largest pillar, known as the Jamrat Al-Aqaba, after spending the previous day in prayer at Mount Arafat and the night in Muzdalifah.

The ritual marks the beginning of Eid Al-Adha and is followed by other rites of the "Day of Sacrifice", including the slaughter of sacrificial animals, shaving or trimming hair and performing the Tawaf Al-Ifadah at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, draws millions of Muslims to Saudi Arabia each year. (QNA)