A Muslim pilgrim prays as he watches thousands of pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug 8, 2019. (AMR NABIL / AP)

MECCA, Saudi Arabia — More than 2 million pilgrims have gathered in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform initial rites of the hajj, an Islamic pilgrimage that takes the faithful along a path traversed by the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago.

The hajj in Islam is meant to unify Muslims, with pilgrims shedding displays of wealth and materialism.

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Mulism pilgrims perform morning prayers at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on August 8, 2019, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city. (ADBEl GHANI BASHIR / AFP)

Male pilgrims wearing simple terry cloth white garments and women in conservative dress and headscarves are circling the cube-shaped Kaaba on Friday.

The pilgrimage this year takes place amid a backdrop of political and sectarian tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and conflicts still flare in Yemen, Syria and Libya. Muslim minorities around the world also face increased threats, including in Indian-administered Kashmir, where a sweeping curfew is in effect.

Mulism pilgrims arrive to pray around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on August 7, 2019, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city. (ABDEL GHANI BASHIR / AFP）

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug 8, 2019. (AMR NABIL / AP)

Muslim pilgrims shop prayer beads at a market in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on Aug 6, 2019, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (FETHI BELAID / AFP)

A pilgrim on his way to Mecca is served Arabic coffee on the Haramain High-Speed Railway train in the holy city of Medina, Saudi Arabia, Aug 8, 2019. (AMR NABIL / AP)