Muslim pilgrims pray at the Mount Al-Noor, where Muslims believe Prophet Mohammad received the first words of the Koran through Gabriel in the Hera cave, ahead of annual haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 18, 2018. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Hisham Mostafa briefly forgot the war in Syria and his financial worries as he looked upon Islam's holiest sites for the first time, standing among hundreds of thousands of white-clad Muslims gathered in Mecca ahead of the haj pilgrimage.
"This is the first time I see the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba. It is the best feeling of my life to be able to perform the haj," said Mostafa, 50, as he looked at the cube-shaped structure towards which Muslims turn in prayer five times a day.
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