Muzdalifa, Saudi Arabia - Millions of Muslim pilgrims moved to Muzdalifa on Tuesday evening after spending the afternoon on the plain of Arafat east of Mecca at the peak of the annual haj pilgrimage.
A stream of hundreds of thousands of people moved under the night sky along a special highway served by huge floodlights towards the next stage of the ancient rites in Saudi Arabia.
At Muzdalifa they will collect small pebbles for throwing at a set of walls on three occasions over the next three days in an act that represents defiance of the devil.
At Arafat on Tuesday, many prayed for forgiveness and the welfare of the world's Muslims but for many others it was enough just to be there -- part of a global community born in Arabia 1,400 years ago and united in belief in one transcendent God.
Saudi authorities say more than 1.6 million people have entered Saudi Arabia for the event, the largest religious gathering in the world and a huge logistical and security challenge for the Saudi authorities.
With pilgrims from within the country, both Saudis and foreign workers, the total would be well over 2 million. Some Saudi newspapers said 3 million people were expected.
The pilgrims, dressed in special white robes, jostled for space on the plain where time is preferably spent reading and in prayer. Some slept in tents, picnicked or chatted with friends.
Physical conditions were gruelling, with the crowds, the sun and the heat, the rapidly accumulating rubbish and the long queues for access to some facilities.
SPACE ON THE TARMAC
Water sprays raised on posts across the plain provided a thin mist and some relief from the midday heat.
But pilgrims said the clamour did not bother them. Some said they welcomed the crowding as a sign of Muslim solidarity.
"The conditions are fine. This event brings us together from all countries in the world," said Nagat Ahmed, an Egyptian woman pilgrim from the Nile Delta province of Dakahlia.
Asghari Saba Ansari, from Crawford Market near the Indian capital Delhi, said her family had found space on the tarmac, between a parked bus and a large four-wheel-drive vehicle.
"We have been here for three hours now and everybody is cooperating. No one has troubled us. We have been praying for forgiveness for any mistakes we have made, for a better life and the good of all Muslims," she said.
The area, about 15 km (10 miles) east of Mecca, is where the prophet Mohammad gave a famed sermon in the year 632, the year of his death. Legend also links it with Adam and Eve.
So far the Saudi authorities have reported none of the problems or disasters which have marred the haj in previous years -- such as fires, hotel collapses, police clashes with protesters and deadly stampedes caused by overcrowding.
A representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei managed to give a speech to a group of Iranian pilgrims at Arafat on Tuesday denouncing "enemies of the Muslim nation".
Shown on Iranian TV, pilgrims waved signs saying "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and chanted slogans. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is performing haj this year at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Aziz Al al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia's state-appointed religious authority, prayed in a sermon before hundreds of thousands for the prosperity of Muslims and Saudi Arabia's rulers, and condemned Islamist militants.
"O Muslims, reject this terrorism, and young people should be careful not to become a means for ruining your countries and your people," he said in the traditional televised speech.
Some enthusiastic pilgrims had spent the night on Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or the Mountain of Mercy.
A large group chanted prayers in unison, asking God to help fellow Muslims in areas of conflict including the Palestinian territories, Chechnya, Kashmir and Sudan.