Muslim pilgrims poured on to the plain of Arafat east of Makkah on Tuesday as the sun rose over the rocky hills for the day marking the climax of the annual haj pilgrimage.

They came on foot, by bus and in pick-up trucks from Mina and other sites in the direction of Makkah, adding to a throng which will reach more than 2 million in the afternoon.

Saudi authorities say more than 1.6 million people have entered Saudi Arabia for the event, the largest religious gathering in the world.

Some of the most enthusiastic pilgrims spent the night on Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or the Mountain of Mercy, nestling in cracks between the boulders. The night air was pleasantly cool, with a breeze from the desert.

The call to prayer came from the Namera Mosque at about 5.30 a.m. (0230 GMT), long before the first rays of sunshine. Pilgrims perched on the hillside said they had prayed for the welfare and success of Muslims across the world.

Zaki Ali Ibrahim, an Egyptian driver working in Saudi Arabia, said he spent the whole night in prayer with friends.

"I prayed that all Muslims may prosper, and that I may prosper with them," he said. "I felt that my prayers for Muslims were reaching God with strength."    

Shazli Atallah Mohamed, a plumber from the southern Egyptian province of Qena, said that on the hilltop he felt he was closer to God than anywhere else on earth. "I prayed that God might accept us all into paradise," he said.

A large group chanted prayers in unison behind their leader, asking God to help fellow Muslims in areas of conflict. The leader named Palestine, Chechnya, Kashmir and Sudan.

As day spread across the plain, the size of the pilgrimage came to light.

A sea of people wrapped in white cloth streamed along six-lane roads to fill the plain, carrying mats, food, screens against the sun, Korans and prayer books.

Charity workers threw packet breakfasts from the back of large container trucks, with biscuits, milk and fruit juice.

Pilgrims waited patiently and took the packets off to their families and colleagues. Fruit sellers set up stalls and African trader women spread their wares on the ground, offering prayer beads, incense and prayer mats.

One man offered rides in the howdahs of camels, richly decorated with brocade and coloured pompoms.

The noon prayer and sermon at the Namera Mosque is a major event, evoking the sermon which the Prophet Mohammad made from the hill in the year of his death in 632. The hill's other claim to fame is that Adam and Eve, separated for 200 years after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, met again here and received God's forgiveness, the Saudi Ministry of Haj says, citing an old tradition.

Pilgrims with experience of previous years said this year's haj seemed to be less crowded than usual, possibly because of the Saudi government's attempts to crack down on attendance by people without permits. - Reuters