Now the couple is readying for Friday, when they travel to Mecca to circle the Kaaba, the most sacred site in Islam.

CNN: U.S. couple from Georgia experiences Hajj pilgrimage

People silently form a circle around the burning embers led by the sacred drum, and the Nestinari, who are spiritual and physical leaders through whom the saints express their will, begin entering the circle and treading the embers.

UNESCO: Culture