Nelson Mandela's body lying in state in Pretoria

Pretoria, South Africa: The body of Nelson Mandela has arrived at the main government building in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, where it will lie in state for three days.

His remains were taken in procession from a hospital mortuary to the Union Buildings.

Members of the public lined the route to form a "guard of honour".

The public, invited heads of state and international guests will be able to view the body of the former president who died last Thursday, aged 95.

He will be buried in his home village of Qunu in Eastern Cape Province on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of South Africans joined scores of world leaders for a national memorial service on Tuesday as part of a series of commemorations.

Procession

The procession left the city's 1 Military Hospital shortly after 07:00 (05:00 GMT) on Wednesday. The coffin could be seen inside a black hearse, draped in a South African flag.

It travelled along Kgosi Mampuru Street and Madiba Street on the way to the Union Buildings.

The hearse was in a long convoy with military outriders and military ambulances.

The long convoy sped quickly through the streets, with some people running alongside the military guard, the BBC's Joseph Winter in Pretoria says.

Mr Mandela's remains will make the journey from the military hospital every morning from Wednesday until Friday, the government has announced.

"The public are encouraged to form a guard of honour by lining the streets," it said.

The Union Buildings are the official seat of the South African government, where Mr Mandela was sworn in as the first black president in 1994.

At the memorial service on Tuesday, President Jacob Zuma announced that the Union Buildings would be renamed the Mandela Amphitheatre.

The Mandela family and selected VIP visitors will be able to view the body from 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

Members of the public can file past from 12:00 to 17:30.

The public will then be able to view the body from 08:00 to 17:30 on Thursday and Friday.

Great liberator

US President Barack Obama led the tributes to Mr Mandela at Tuesday's memorial service in rainy weather at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg.

He said the former South African president was a "giant of history", describing him as the last great liberator of the 20th Century.

"We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. While I will always fall short of Madiba [Mr Mandela's clan name], he makes me want to be a better man."

On Saturday, Mr Mandela's remains will be transported to the Eastern Cape from Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

A military guard of honour will welcome the arrival. The coffin will then be placed on a gun carriage and then transported to a hearse.

Mr Mandela's body will then be taken to his home village of Qunu, where the Thembu community will conduct a traditional ceremony.

A national day of reconciliation will take place on 16 December when a statue of Mr Mandela will be unveiled at the Union Buildings.

Big screens have been set up across the country to show the planned national events.

-BBC