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It is day six. I've woken up feeling very strange . I'm not sure whether its the sheer exhaustion finally taking its toll, or whether the fact that this being the last day of Hajj is damping my mood. Today we are leaving Mina to return to Makkah, where we will do our final circuits of the Kaaba - concluding our pilgrimage. I've been on a high all week, always looking forward to the day ahead whilst constantly savouring the moment. Just as I never thought I would actually go on Hajj so soon in my life, I guess I never really anticipated this amazing experience ending so soon. Never before have I felt so many different emotions so strongly. I try and channel them all - some make sense to me, other things that I feel are strange... they are new to me. A few years ago I was given the autobiography of Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-shabazz) as a present. Aside from being one of the best books I have ever read, the African-American leader's life story had a profound impa...

It's day five ... I think . Things have been moving so fast and so much is happening that I've lost sense of time! Today is the first day of Eid, one of two Islamic celebrations and holidays in the Muslim world. Growing up I would always look forward to this day, when I would wear my new clothes, go to the mosque and visit friends and families. In the evening the family would sit to a delicious meal prepared by my mother. Today's Eid is a little different. Although I don't have any new clothes, I no longer have to wear the Ihram (two plain white cloths), so I almost get that same feeling . In the morning we greet each other with the Eid greeting of "May God accept your good deeds and may each year bring you peace and good health". Smooth operation Aside from the sense of joy that comes with Eid, there is a noticeable sense of relief amongst us all . The hardest parts of Hajj have come and gone and we are all grateful that we have managed to perform them. To...

Last night we travelled from Mina to Arafat where what many describe as the climax of the Hajj takes place . After what I have already seen and experienced, it is difficult to comprehend how things could get anymore climactic. We were up early in the morning to film the pilgrims making their way to the Mount of Mercy . Here is where it is believed the Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon before he died almost 1,400 years ago. As we leave our accommodation, I think to myself : Did the few thousand followers who were present at the time ever expect that one day millions of pilgrims from across the globe would follow in the footsteps of the same prophet? Again the streets are packed with people. But this time it is much worse: coach after lorry after coach line the streets making it impossible to walk at a decent pace . Spiritual climax We get to the Mount of Mercy and, for yet another time on this journey, I am taken aback . People have covered the mountain like ants. If you did no...

Day three, and its probably been the most difficult so far. We are up at dawn again - leaving Mecca for the plains of Mina . Here we camp for three days, going to Arafat and coming back in the middle . Aside from the spiritual high felt by the team, we're also pretty happy with our first day of live coverage. But the strain of travelling, working and Hajj itself is beginning to take its toll on us. If we're not filming, we're worshiping and if we're not worshiping we're on the road . As we approach our base in Mina, we drive by hundreds of thousands of white tents . The sheer quantity of things here, be it people, coaches or tents, and the way in which they appear in unison still amazes me. No rest We have a live news segment as soon as we arrive so there's no time to rest, and to add to the stress, the guest we hoped to have on the show doesn't make it. But our skin is saved when we meet an African-American couple who agree to fill in. It transpires that th...

"Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar" - God is Great, God is Great. I wake up to the sound of the call to prayer on my second day in Mecca. It is five in the morning when I leave my hotel to go to pray at the Grand Mosque, but you would never know it was so early . The streets are overflowing . People walk briskly as they compete to secure their place as close as possible to the Kaaba, the building inside the Grand Mosque towards which all Muslims around the world pray. Suddenly, amidst all the hustle and bustle, the voice of the imam - the prayer leader - echoes throughout. The prayer has started . As if choreographed, the millions of pilgrims form almost perfect rows, all facing in the same direction . And then: silence . All that can be heard is the voice of the imam. No one talks, no sound of traffic, not another noise . The order and discipline in which the pilgrims lined up to perform the prayer is astounding . High alert Over breakfast we decide that we will go to film the Sau...