CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Five security agents were killed today in a shootout with terrorist suspects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But 500 miles away, all is calm. Thousands of Saudi troops standing guard at Mecca. That is the destination for two million Muslims from around the world marking the annual hajj pilgrimage. CNN's Rym Brahimi joins us live via video phone from Mecca -- hello, Rym. Rym, can you hear us?</s>RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, well, this is the first day of the hajj or the Muslim pilgrimage, and it's called Yamo Tarila (ph), which is a national day of reflection. And now basically the pilgrims have donned their eglances (ph), otherwise took their clothes off, their sacred clothes. For men it consists of these two pieces of seamless white cloth. For women, now, basically we're pretty much talking one, as long as they're covered from head to toe, showing just their face, their hands and their feet. And now basically there are almost two million pilgrims, as you know, Carol, all converging to the same place, for the time being still Kalvadiya (ph), a shrine that was built by Prophet Abraham, the first house of god, if you will. And pilgrims are basically asked to do what Abraham did, which is leave his place of birth, which is believed to be in Iraq now, to go to the holy land, and that's Herat Province (ph) here in Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims all come to the holy land. They leave their homes for a period of time to worship god, to become better people, to leave behind the worldly worries, the worldly concerns, the material concerns and seek forgiveness, ask for blessing and want to become better people -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Mecca this morning.
First Day of Muslim Pilgrimage