Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said a suicide bomber who was planning an attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca blew himself up on Friday when security forces surrounded a house where he was hiding.

Saudi Arabian military forces put on a show in Mecca as people arrive for the annual Haj pilgrimage.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims attend evening and night prayers at Mecca's Grand Mosque gathering together from all parts of the world to perform the annual pilgrimage of Haj.

The islamic pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) is one of the five pillars of Islam and a religious duty for every able-bodied Muslim. The pilgrimage takes place once a year.

For the past two years, the walls, facades and even mailboxes of Bayonne in the French Basque country have been adorned with impressive murals and frescoes by some of the world's top street artists.

Drone images show the roads of the Saudi holy city of Mecca deserted during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia's health minister warned of a huge spike in coronavirus cases of up to 200,000 within weeks, state media reported. The warning came after the kingdom extended the duration of daily curfews in multiple cities, including the capital Riyadh, to 24 hours in a bid to limit the spread of the deadly virus.

Muslim worshippers pray while respecting the social distancing restrictions next to the Kaaba in Mecca's Grand Mosque. Saudi Arabia partially lifted its curfew but said it would maintain a round-the-clock lockdown in the holy city of Mecca.

Saudis set up a field hospital with a capacity of 100 beds to treat coronavirus patients in the holy city of Mecca.

Muslim worshippers pray while respecting social distancing restrictions after Saudi authorities reopened mosques in the holiest city in Islam. Mosques had been closed for three months closed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, begins the year-round umrah pilgrimage for Muslims, following the authorities' announcement that only people immunised against Covid-19 will be allowed to attend. AERIAL

Muslims gather before the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca to attend prayers marking Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday which starts at the conclusion of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The Saudi government has lifted social distancing measures, allowing full-capacity attendance at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Follow DW for the latest.