Muslim Pilgrims Begin Hajj, but This Year Without Iranians

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT World http://ift.tt/2cDHuJa
via IFTTT Close to 2 million people from around the world began performing the first rites of the Islamic hajj pilgrimage on Saturday, which calls for entering into a state of physical and spiritual purity and circling the cube-shaped Kaaba with their palms facing upward in supplication and prayer.