Pilgrims are fortified by one of the greatest spiritual experiences in Muslim life (AFP)

MAKKAH, February 5 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Fortified by one of the greatest spiritual experiences in Muslim life, nearly two million Muslims began the journey home from hajj.  

The great pilgrimage came to an official close on Tuesday, February 3, the third and final day of the ritual stoning of the devil which left 251 dead in a stampede as the faithful surged forward for a vantage point.

Those who ended the pilgrimage earned the respected title of "hajj" after completing the rituals with a farewell walk around the Kaaba at the heart of the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Ending the rituals, pilgrims flooded the shopping streets surrounding the shrine seeking to buy gifts as reminders of the holy city, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"I am buying presents to take home like traditional (Arab) clothes to give relatives and friends but also toys for the children," Bawa Enujah from Ghana said.

The 52-year-old farmer smiled at the mention of the epithet "hajj," a word that is associated with piety and spiritual wisdom.

A dozen Nigerians were stocking up on household goods ranging from teapots to coffee cups and plates at a neighboring store.

 Communication is often difficult between Arabic-speaking shopkeepers and the "guests of God" from the four corners of the earth -- 1.4 million foreigners and nearly 500,000 Saudis this year.

However sign language and electronic calculators ensure the tradition of bargaining is maintained.

Five pilgrims from Chechnya haggled over 50 Muslim skullcaps and managed to get the price down 50 percent.

"These are gifts and the client is not a businessman," shrugged the stallholder.

Beads and prayer mats as well as white Gulf Arab robes called dishdashas are the most popular purchases.

Zamzam Water

The hajj also sees a run on plastic water containers which are requisite items to carry home the holy but sterilized waters of the spring of Zamzam, which Muslims believe originated from heaven and still flows today under the Grand Mosque.

But as the pilgrims shopped and departed, an army of 7,000 workers moved in to tackle the aftermath.

Some 4.5 million people visit Makkah and Medina each year for the major hajj and minor umra pilgrimages to the holiest sites in Islam.

"We make sure the town is clean," said Iqbal, a Bangladeshi dustbin man, sporting the Makkah municipal uniform.

'Great Success'

In the meantime, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said the hajj season was a "great success" in every possible way this year.

"I want to congratulate you on your great achievement ... all the security, safety and traffic plans were carried out according to the highest standards and those who say otherwise are ungrateful or hate this country," Prince Nayef said, the official Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday.

The hajj is one of the “five pillars” of Islam, and thus an essential part of Muslims’ faith and practice under the condition of physical and financial ability.

It consists of several ceremonies, meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.