Attending my first haj

A Muslim pilgrim prays as she gather with others on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 20, 2018. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File photo

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - On the plain of Arafat, I stood among hundreds of thousands of people who were all trying to reach the top of Mount Mercy, whilst covering my first haj after 20 years as a photographer for Reuters.

Instead of praying in the traditional way, people were doing it in the “21st-century” way — using their mobile phones to read out prayers and take pictures at the mountain.