Pilgrims pray at Arafat as hajj peaks

Huge numbers of Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat Tuesday at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage, defying searing temperatures under the desert sun as they fulfilled a lifelong dream.

From daybreak, thousands of white-robed worshippers recited Quranic verses on the 70-meter rocky hill near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his last sermon.

Volunteers handed out bottles of water, parasols and food packages to the tens of thousands of pilgrims as they made their way toward ...