Muslim pilgrims pray, shirk sun, as hajj reaches peak

Muslim worshippers prayed on Mount Arafat during the high point of the hajj pilgrimage Thursday, as authorities urged them to avoid the hottest hours of the day after tragedy struck last year.

Thousands of white-robed pilgrims recited Koranic verses from dawn on the 70-metre (230 feet) rocky rise near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.

But numbers thinned by midday following official warnings for pilgrims to stay inside between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, a…