How Eid al-Adha was celebrated across countries

On Eid al-Adha, Muslims across the world gathered at mosques to pray, and performed ritualistic sacrifices. There is a reason why sacrifice or qurbani forms an important part of Eid-al-Adha or Eid al-Azha.

This Eid is marked in honour of Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God's command. However, before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, God provided him a lamb to sacrifice instead.

In each country, the festival took on a distinct tone, marked by rituals, traditions, and street scenes. Here's a story in pictures that reveals how the celebrations were different across countries.

People participate in a special morning prayer around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on June 6, to mark the start of the Eid al-Adha festival. (AFP Image)

Fireworks light up the sky in the Qatari capital Doha during celebrations to mark the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on June 6. (AFP Image) Emiratis exchange wishes after Eid al-Adha morning prayers at Dubai's main mosque. (AFP Image) People offer namaaz at Shahi Masjid inside the Taj Mahal complex, in Agra, on Saturday. (PTI Image) People in Srinagar shop at a market on the eve of Eid al-Adha. (PTI Image) People in Jaipur offer namaaz near the Idgah Mosque on Delhi-Jaipur Highway, in Rajasthan on Saturday. (PTI Image) People in Mumbai offer naamaz outside the Bandra Railway station on Saturday. (PTI Image) People offer namaaz at Kolkata's Indira Gandhi Sarani, formerly known as Red Road, in West Bengal, on Saturday. (PTI Image) Young women in Chennai pose for a selfie after offering naamaz on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha in Tamil Nadu, on Saturday. (PTI Image) People in Maharashtra's Satara take part in a street procession on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. (PTI Image) Bangladeshis board a train at a railway station in Dhaka, as they travel to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Adha with their families. (AFP Image) Men in Lahore transport goats on motorbikes after buying them for sacrificing on Eid al-Adha. (AFP Image) Butchers tie the legs of camels before sacrifice during the Eid al-Adha in Pakistan's Peshawar on Saturday. (AFP Image) People in Lahore sacrifice animals during the celebrations of Eid al-Adha on Saturday. In several places across the subcontinent, the public sacrifice of animals creates a civic nightmare. (AFP Image)