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VIDEO: Man completes Mecca pilgrimage on hoverboard

Pilgrim caught on video completing seven laps round world's holiest Islamic site on electronic transport device
A man has been captured on video performing a key aspect of the Islamic pilgrimage on an electronic hoverboard (Screengrab)

In what could be a world first, a man has been captured on video performing a key aspect of the Islamic pilgrimage on an electronic hoverboard.

The man, who has not been identified, is shown performing a ritual known as tawaf, which literally means “circling”.

During the ritual, pilgrims walk counter-clockwise seven times around the perimeter of the Kaaba, considered the most sacred mosque in Islamic tradition.

During the hajj, the annual pilgrimage which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in their lifetime, huge numbers of people attempt to walk around the holy site at the same time.

However, the man featured in the video was performing the umrah, an optional pilgrimage carried out at any time of year, so found ample room to scoot around on his hoverboard, a battery-powered wheeled device which has a top speed of 11 kilometres per hour.

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