Hajj: What (Not) To Wear To Mecca

Fashion, you'd think, is the last thing on Muslim pilgrims' minds during hajj. But appearance plays a big role during the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, a journey every able-bodied Muslim is required to make at least once in their lives.

Some women start off at an Islamic clothing shop like this one in Grozny, Chechnya. When the believers make a vow of pilgrimage and put on a special seamless garment known as Ihram, the hajj is thought to truly begin.

Here in Kabul, government-sponsored trainers help pilgrims with the complex rituals of the hajj, such as the correct movement and ordering of prayers at certain sites. They also practice putting on Ihram, which must wrap around the body in a specific way.

In many Central Asian nations, pilgrims bid farewell to their homelands by dressing up in traditional costume. Hajj often serves as a bonding experience for Muslims of one nation who travel together. Here, Turkmen girls dance in national dress.

France -- A woman, wearing a burqa, is seen after her release from a police station in Paris, 11Apr2011

Iraq -- Shi'ite pilgrims wave goodbye in the Iraqi city of Samawa as they leave to attend the Hajj in Mecca, 24Dec2005

Tajikistan -- Pilgrims pass the passport control at the Tajik-Uzbek border on their way to the hajj in Mecca, 03Mar2000

Daghestan -- Pilgrims arrived at the airport after the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Makhachkala, 20Jan2006

Pakistan -- Hajj pilgrims get off a Pakistan International Airline (PIA) on their return from Saudi Arabia, in Quetta, 22Nov2010

Kazakhstan - Official farewell to Muslim pilgrims to the Hajj, at the Central Mosque of Almaty, 08Nov2010.

Saudi Arabia -- A man shaves the head of a Muslim pilgrim after the "Jamarat" ritual, the stoning of Satan, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, 27Nov2009

Saudi Arabia -- Hajj pilgrims w/ umbrellas seek cover as heavy rain streams down a road in Mecca on 25nov2009

Saudi Arabia -- Muslim pilgrims arrive gather at Mount Arafat, southeast of the city of Mecca, 26Nov2009

Saudi Arabia -- Hajj pilgrims in rear of vehicle in Mecca on 24nov2009

Chechnya -- Girls at an exhibition devoted to late Chechen President Ahmad Kadyrov in Grozny, 01Jul2009

Afghanistan - Hajj pilgrims are boarding Kam Air flight at Kabul International Airport, 14Nov2007

Afghanistan - Hajj pilgrims are boarding on Kam Air flight at Kabul International Airport, 14Nov2007