AKIPRESS.COM - As helicopters hovered in the sky above a seemingly endless number of soldiers marching in unison, it looked like Saudi Arabia was bracing itself for war, BBC reports.

It was in fact a show of readiness to host its most important event of the year, the Hajj.

The kingdom often talks up its military prowess, but even by its own standards, the parade in Mecca was huge.

Nearly two million pilgrims from across the globe come here every year for the Hajj.

The season lasts for nearly six days, but last year it was disastrous. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people - many of them Iranian - were killed in a crush on the third day. It was the deadliest accident at the Hajj in more than two decades.

Iran is not sending any pilgrims this year, after Tehran and Riyadh failed to reach agreement over Hajj arrangements amid a diplomatic row.

Iran believes the Saudis are not doing enough to guarantee the safety of the pilgrims, while the Saudis say Iran wants special rights.

"Iranians want to politicise the Hajj," said Saudi interior ministry spokesman Mansour Turki. "They want to organise protests. We won't allow them to spoil the religious ritual. This is why they are criticising us."