The Wider Image: Attending my first haj
Reuters photographer Zohra Bensemra: "On the plain of Arafat, I stood among hundreds of thousands of people who were all trying to reach the top of Mount Mercy, whilst covering my first haj after 20 years as a photographer for Reuters. Instead of praying in the traditional way, people were doing it in the "21st-century" way - using their mobile phones to read out prayers and take pictures at the mountain. There was one woman sporting a bright turquoise ring that caught my eye. Decades of haj tradition dictate the norm is to not wear jewellery. My first time walking around the holy city of Mecca, I was amazed by the mixture of people. There were Africans, Asians, Europeans, Americans, and Arabs, all coexisting in this tiny place. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra SEARCH "HAJ BENSEMRA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: SAUDI-HAJ/WOMENÊ