Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Friday performed prayers for Eid Al-Adha at a mosque in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, state-news agency MENA said. The prayers at the Mohamed Karim Mosque in the naval forces headquarters in the city's northern Ras El-Tin district were attended by Defence Minister Sedki Sobhy, parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, and a number of other ministers and top government officials. El-Sisi exchanged calls with Gulf leaders late on Thursday to wish them well on the Islamic feast, the presidency said. He called Saudi's King Salman, Kuwait's ruler Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and received calls from Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, his office said in four separate statements. Faithful Muslims around the world on Friday began celebrating the Eid Al-Adha festival, one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar, with the sacrificial slaughtering of animals such as sheep and goats. The ritual act commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command, according to Islamic tradition. The festival comes as the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is underway.
