The sky turned cloudy and rain brought a reprieve from the stress of the desert heat for Muslim pilgrims taking part in the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. The religious rites have taken place amid fierce summer heat, with temperatures reaching 48 degrees Celsius in Mecca and sacred sites in and around the city, according to the Saudi National Center for Meteorology.