Millions will make the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. The kingdom faces scrutiny over safety after more than 1,300 people died last year.

Nearly two million Muslim pilgrims began the soul-searching journey of the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The pilgrims circled the Kaaba in the heart of the holy city of Mecca and began moving to Mina, a vast tent city on the way to Mecca, marking the first step of the Hajj rituals.

Large numbers of Muslims converge once a year on Saudi Arabia to unite in a series of religious rituals and acts of worship as they perform the Hajj, the pilgrimage that is one of the pillars of Islam.