On or after 10 Dhu'l-Hijja, pilgrims perform Tawaf al-Ifadah at the Sacred Mosque as an essential rite of Hajj.
This circumambulation is also called Tawaf al-Ziyarat, or the “tawaf of visiting,” and Tawaf al-Hajj. It takes place after the central rites at Arafat and Muzdalifah, usually on 10 Dhu'l-Hijja, the first day of Eid al-Adha, though it may be performed later.
Tawaf means circling the Kaaba seven times counterclockwise. Pilgrims begin near the Black Stone and complete each circuit around the Kaaba, the cubic sanctuary at the center of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. The rite is distinct from Tawaf al-Qudum, the arrival tawaf, and Tawaf al-Wadaa, the farewell tawaf before leaving Mecca.
A common mix-up is treating every Hajj tawaf as interchangeable. Tawaf al-Ifadah is specifically the obligatory post-Arafat tawaf; omitting it means the Hajj is not complete. The associated sa'i between Safa and Marwah may also be required, depending on the pilgrim's Hajj type and what was performed earlier.