Saudi Arabia has barred more than 269,000 people without permits for the annual Hajj pilgrimage from entering Mecca this week, authorities said, as the world's largest annual gathering of people has officially begun.

Pilgrims were performing the last major ritual of the hajj -- the "stoning of the devil" -- on Friday, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday.Starting before day break,

The annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia has begun. It’s required once in a lifetime by every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make