Muslims prepare for Eid al-Adha

They arrive by the boatload... hundreds of heads of cattle from all over Bangladesh land in the capital Dhaka ahead of the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha.

They make their way to a crowded market where they are sold to families to mark the occasion.

Eid-al-Adha is the festival of sacrifice celebrated by Muslims world wide to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismael to keep his word to God .

Animals including cows, goats, camels and sheep are slaughtered each year to mark the festival.

The meat is then distributed, with one-third eaten by the immediate family and relatives, one-third given away to friends, and one-third donated to the poor.

Its much the same scene in Pakistan.

Nearly 10 million animals are slaughters in Pakistan alone for the holiday.

But this years rising prices have both buyers and sellers feeling the pinch.

Earlier in October, the International Monetary Fund said in a press release that Pakistan's GDP was expected to grow 3-3.5 percent over the next financial year - which is not enough to provide jobs for the rapidly growing population.