Hajj in real time: Follow live updates from Mecca

It is Hajj season again and time for nearly two million Muslims to descend on Islam's holiest site: Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The Hajj pilgrimage is one of Islam’s five pillars, which all Muslims who are financially and physically able must perform at least once in their lifetime.

Explaining the steps to successfully complete the Hajj pilgrimage can be daunting for first-timers visiting the holy site, let alone foreigners and non-Muslims as they watch the largest gatherings of human on earth.

Our correspondent on the ground, Ismaeel Naar, will be live blogging and providing us with updates throughout the five-day pilgrimage.

Note: To read Al Arabiya English’s past live blog in 2015, click here, and 2016’s coverage here.