Muslim pilgrims surround the Kaaba to pray inside and outside the Grand Mosque in Mecca. AP Photo / Hassan Ammar
At Mount Arafat, in western Saudi Arabia, a massive crowd of the faithful spends the day praying and asking for God's forgiveness in a symbolic wait for the final judgement. Fayez Nureldine / AFP, Salah Malkawi / The National
Staff from The National who have performed Haj recount their spiritual journeys. Read Article
Comedian Jaspal Bhatti (centre), acting as the election commissioner, and members of his comedy troupe ‘Nonsense Club’ perform a skit in Chandigarh in 2002.2002
One of India's greatest satirists dies in crash the day before latest film Power Cut is released. Read Article
Legal experts say residents facing increased rent demands should stand their ground.Pawan Singh / The National
Renting in UAE: Landlords seeking to cash in on Dubai's property boom are raising rents by as much as 50 per cent in defiance of Rera's 5 per cent cap. Read Article
When a majority of people ask for an extremely skewed minimum age for retirement, with the expectation of a government pension, then public funds spent on a fully capable, but retired, workforce are being diverted from other meaningful social and economic initiatives. Read Article Retire at 45? A nice idea, but it would be at nation's expense
Hoteliers and retailers across Beirut are predicting a dire Eid Al Ahda weekend after a slew of cancellations in the aftermath of the bomb blast that killed the country's top spy chief. Read Article Beirut counts the cost of terrorism
The rugged mountains of Mecca transform to sheets of white as millions of pilgrims descend on the city to undertake a fundamental pillar of their faith. Haj 2012 in pictures
Both superstars are set to perform as part of the closing ceremony of the World Parachuting Championships on December 8 at Meydan Race Course. Katy Perry and Usher to play Dubai
