Bangladesh is preparing to host the Biswa Ijtema -- one of the world's biggest Islamic religious events after the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj.

Two million Muslims from more than sixty countries are expected to attend the three-day gathering, held on the banks of the river Turag outside the capital, Dhaka.

A mosque in the city was full of turbaned, bearded men on their way to the Ijtema with bags, cooking pots and bedrolls.

No women attend.

The BBC correspondent in Bangladesh says the gathering has had no publicity because its organisers the Jamaat Tabliq, a Sunni group believe in spreading the word of God without using modern media or technology.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service