\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs24 The pilgrimage to Mecca is the culminating point of every pious MuslimÆs life. In the middle of the great mosque stands the shri
ne of the Kaaba, a cubic building in which the Black Stone is set. This is probably a fragment of a meteorite and dates back, according to the Koran, to the patriarch Abraham. The ceremonies commence with a nighttime vigil on Mount Arafat, the Mount of M
ercy, the place on the road to Mecca where the Prophet preached his last sermon. After purifying themselves the pilgrims, dressed in a simple length of white cloth, make seven circuits of the Kaaba, stopping each time to kiss the sacred stone.\par
