Thousands of pilgrims were gathering on a river bank outside the Bangladesh capital Wednesday for one of the world's largest Islamic assemblies to discuss religion and peace.
More than 100,000 clerics and devotees have already arrived for the three-day congregation, which begins Friday, organizers said.
The congregation will culminate into a mass prayer on Sunday attended by up to 4 million people, including Bangladesh's president and prime minister, said Mohammed Zakir Hossain, a spokesman for Tablig Jamaat, an organization of Islamic preachers that's sponsored the event.
Biswa Ijtema, or the World Congregation of Muslims, has been held annually on the banks of Turag River in Tongi, 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the capital, Dhaka, since 1966.
The assembly shuns politics and is dedicated to reviving the tenets of Islam and promoting peace and harmony, said Hossain. Participants will discuss the Quran _ Islam's holy book, pray and listen to sermons by Islamic scholars from across the world.
Nearly 40,000 pilgrims are expected from abroad, Hossain said.
"I have been coming here since 1979, and I have learned a lot about humanity from this marvelous event," said Serajul Alam Siddiqui, a Bangladeshi physician.
Women devotees are not allowed to enter the main venue.
More than 4,000 security forces will be deployed for the gathering, police official Fazlul Bari said.