Thousands gather for prayers at Mecca to mark the start of Eid el-Fit

Large parts of the Muslim world celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and the start of the holiday of Eid al-Fitr on Friday In the holy Muslim city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, prayers marked the beginning of the holiday. United Arab Emirates and Qatar followed Saudi Arabia and announced the holiday would begin for them on Friday, while their Gulf Arab neighbour, Oman, declared that the moon had not been sighted and the holiday would begin on Saturday.