JEDDAH, 18 February — More than 1.5 million faithful from 160 countries have arrived in the Kingdom for the Haj as the deadline for arrival of foreign pilgrims passed yesterday.

Pilgrims arriving at Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport were excited about their journey to Makkah.

“I can’t believe I’m on the way to Makkah,” Lebanese pilgrim Umm Muhammad said. “I’m so happy.”

Asked what he sought from Haj, Reza, an Iranian pilgrim in a seamless white robe, said: “Inner peace and heaven.”

Haj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It must be performed once in a lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who has the financial means.

Health and security are the main concerns throughout the season and have gained special attention since this is the first mass gathering of Muslims since the Sept. 11. The Kingdom has stressed its determination to ensure a safe and peaceful Haj by beefing up security and health provisions.

Officials also vowed to prevent any political fallout from Sept. 11 marring the Haj. Interior Minister Prince Naif said the authorities were confident the pilgrims would shun politics and focus on fulfilling their religious duty.

“We are fully ready to firmly confront any incident,” Naif told a news conference in Makkah late Saturday. “Religious duty is greater than anything. (Haj) is all about the relationship between the pilgrim and the All Mighty.”

Muslim anger at the United States for its backing of Israel has been fuelled in recent months by a backlash in the West against Muslims and Arabs following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

Prince Naif attended a parade by the different military units involving riot police, ambulances and fire fighters taking part in the Haj operation.

The authorities have deployed about 2,000 police and troops and 1,500 surveillance cameras in Makkah and surrounding religious sites to oversee security and maintain order.

Police at two roadblocks controlled the entrance to the holy city, checking pilgrims’ papers. Thousands of Civil Defense workers and medical staff also manned the area, along with a small army of 23,000 cleaners.

Although the anthrax scare that hit the world during the first two months following the Sept. 11 attacks has long fallen into obscurity, the authorities are taking no chance as more than two million people gather in Makkah.

In the sprawling tent city of Mina outside Makkah where the pilgrims spend most Haj days, the Civil Defense Department yesterday conducted a controlled experiment involving the discovery of an envelope suspected of containing the germ.

The powder — as well as the individuals who came into contact with it — were then taken care of in a joint effort involving the Ministry of Health, the chemical laboratories of the Saudi Armed Forces and other departments.

The anthrax experiment, said Brig. Sulaiman Al-Amr, director of Civil Defense, was intended to ensure a maximum degree of preparedness through rapid intervention.

Minister of Health Osama Shubokshi opened a number of health projects in Makkah including new centers for heart, diabetes and arthritis and inspected new equipment and buildings especially readied for Haj.

Meanwhile, ministers and senior government officials have been attending to final preparations with three days left before the climax of Haj on Thursday, when the pilgrims gather in Arafat. The entire government apparatus is mobilized to provide necessary services to the pilgrims.