The day spent on Mount Arafat is the pinnacle of the five-day hajj pilgrimage, which all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform at least once. Muslims spend the day there in deep prayer, many openly weeping as they repent and ask God for forgiveness. Prayer on this day at Mount Arafat, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Mecca, is believed to offer the best chance of erasing past sins and starting anew. Many Muslims who are not performing the hajj fast from dawn to dusk on this day, for similar reasons. ___Follow Nariman El-Mofty on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NMofty and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/narimanelmofty___Follow AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo

Source: New York Times September 11, 2016 10:18 UTC