Starting before day break, the more than 1.6 million Muslims taking part in the pilgrimage threw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca.
The ritual commemorates Abraham’s stoning of the devil at the three spots where it is said Satan tried to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son.
Howakita, a pilgrm from Guinea, said the prospect of celebrating Eid in Mecca filled her with joy.
A day earlier, pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat, praying and reciting Koranic verses at the 70-metre (230-foot) rocky rise near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.
This year’s hajj saw authorities implementing a range of heat mitigation efforts alongside a wide-ranging crackdown on illicit pilgrims -- resulting in noticeably thinner crowds and a heavy security presence at holy sites in Mecca and surrounding areas.
Saudi authorities said a majority of those deaths were among pilgrims who illegally snuck into Mecca and lacked access to accommodation and other services aimed to keep pilgrims safe and protected from the searing desert heat.
Last year, 1.8 million Muslims took part in the hajj, according to official figures.
But even for those who can secure them, the high costs spur many to attempt the hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught.
Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the hajj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.
The end of the hajj coincides with the beginning of Eid al-Adha -- an annual feasting holiday marked by the slaughter of an animal -- typically a goat, sheep, cow, bull or camel.
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