TASHKENT, August 19. /TASS/. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev traveled to Mecca and performed Umrah, or the lesser pilgrimage, while on a visit to Saudi Arabia, his press service said on Friday.

He walked into the Masjid al-Haram Mosque, or the Great Mosque of Mecca, and was given the honor to enter the Kaaba, the shrine at the center of the mosque, the statement said.

"Then the head of state performed the Tawaf rite seven times, circling the Kaaba," according to the statement.

Unlike Hajj, Umrah can be performed at any time of the year.