BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: In the Muslim holy city of Mecca, thousands of Saudi security officers are on patrol awaiting Wednesday's start of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to holy sites undertaken by millions of Muslims. CNN's Riz Khan is in Mecca.</s>RIZ KHAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than two million pilgrims are already gathering in the city of Mecca in the heart of the Saudi desert, as they prepare on the eve of the Muslim pilgrimage, the Hajj. They are getting ready for four days of travel, 20 kilometers in the desert, to the plain of Arafat on Wednesday, the most important day of the Hajj, where from sunrise to sunset they're expected to reflect upon their good and bad their deeds. Then, it's back 20 kilometers to the city of Mecca to go through other rituals in the pilgrimage process. Already, the mosque in the center of Mecca is filling up with pilgrims. It can hold more than a million people, but the people spill out into the streets as the city fills up with people coming in from around the world. About 40 percent of the pilgrims are said to be woman, as transportation has made it easier for people from around the world to get into the city. This is said to be possibly one of the biggest Hajjs so far, as the temperatures drop and conditions get cooler in the desert and people find it easier to go through the various rituals. Riz Khan, CNN, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Millions of Muslims Gather in Mecca to Await Start of the Hajj