MENA, Saudi Arabia - Nearly two million Muslim pilgrims chanting "God Is Greatest" performed a ritual that symbolizes the stoning of the devil on Saturday as a trouble-free annual Haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia wound down.

The white-robed faithful packed the 1,600-meter (mile-long) Jamarat bridge in Mena and threw 21 pebbles each at three concrete pillars to the Arabic cry of "Allahu Akbar".

They will sleep in Mena for another night before a third day of stoning on Sunday, the fifth and final day of the Haj.

Saudi officials reported no accidents at Jamarat, traditionally the most troublesome part of the Haj, where last year at least 35 people died in a stampede during the stoning ritual. In 1998, 119 were killed in a similar incident.

Muslims believe the devil appeared to Abraham at the site near Mecca, the native city of the Prophet Mohammad.

Loudspeaker announcements in a variety of languages guided the crowds under the watchful eyes of hundreds of police and paramedic teams. Helicopters hovered overhead as Saudi officials distributed chilled water to the pilgrims in temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit).

There had been fears of political fallout at the Haj after the September 11 attacks on the United States were blamed on Islamic militants but the ritual has been spared controversy.

Thousands of Iranian pilgrims did stage an anti-American rally on mount Arafat on Thursday despite a Saudi ban on political gatherings. Speakers denounced Israel, the United States and the war in Afghanistan. U.S. President George W. Bush has called Iran part of an "axis of evil", angering Iranians.

But the rally was confined to an area set aside for Iranian pilgrims and passed off without incident. A similar meeting at the 1987 Haj had led to clashes with Saudi security forces in which 402 people, mostly Iranians, died. Iran boycotted the Haj for three years after that incident.

Saudi authorities said 1.84 million people performed the Haj this year, compared with 1.80 million last year. Of these, 1.35 million came from abroad while 480,000 were from the kingdom.

Around 115,000 pilgrims -- 45,000 Saudis and 70,000 foreigners -- were turned away from Mecca, carrying forged permits to enter the holy city. Haj is a once-in-a-lifetime religious duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.