Safety-conscious Hajj begins in Saudi

Nearly three million Muslims from all over the world have begun the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, where the authorities hope that their new security measures will prevent a tragedy such as last January's, when 365 people were killed in a stampede.

Following the route of Mohammed, the pilgrims made their way across the desert towards Mina, where they will stay for the next few days.

Around 25,000 Brits make the trip every year as it is one of the five pillars of Islam to complete the Hajj if one is financially and bodily able.

This year, Saudi authorities have spent over a billion US dollars (£510 million) renovating the site, where pilgrims throw stones at three walls symbolically renouncing the devil, at which the tragedy occurred earlier this year.

They have also put a limit on the number of foreigners allowed to attend the more dangerous stages of the pilgrimage in an effort to ease the flow of people.

The Hajj has a long history of catastrophes; in 1990 over 1,400 people were killed after they became trapped in a tunnel and in 1997 fire killed at least 250 and injured many hundred more. Over the last two years, nearly 600 people have been killed in stampedes.