MAKKAH, 20 February — Up to 2.5 million pilgrims, around 1.4 million of whom have arrived from more than 120 countries, will converge on the Mina Valley today, marking the beginning of Haj.
Authorities have laid out 44,000 air-conditioned and fireproof canvas tents in which they will spend the night to mark the Yaum Al-Tarwiya in preparation for tomorrow’s standing in prayer on Mount Arafat, the climax of the annual five-day event.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, have instructed government officials to exert maximum efforts in the service of pilgrims to help them perform their religious duties in ease and comfort.
“Preparations concerning the movement of pilgrims toward Mina and Arafat have been finalized and all personnel have been mobilized,” Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed said.
“All the camps are ready to receive the faithful,” said the prince, who heads the Central Haj Committee. He also revealed the government’s plan to establish new projects in the holy sites for the benefit of pilgrims.
Establishments for pilgrims from different countries, traffic police, civil defense, the Haj Ministry and other related departments have made arrangements to facilitate the journey of pilgrims to Mina. Haj transport companies have readied 13,500 buses to carry the faithful to Mina and other holy sites.
The authorities have prohibited the use of gas stoves in Mina since a fire in 1997 killed hundreds of pilgrims and left 1,500 others injured.
After ascending Mount Arafat, 12 kilometers south of Makkah, pilgrims must stop at the sacred site of Muzdalifa and once again at Mina to perform more rituals en route to Makkah.
In the plains of Arafat, they stand in prayer, seeking the pardon and bounties of God.
Pilgrims stop in Muzdalifa, about 10 kilometers from Makkah, to collect pebbles for stoning at pillars in Mina representing Satan. In Mina, they also sacrifice animals, normally sheep, commemorating Prophet Ibrahim’s readiness to sacrifice his son Ismail.
The faithful continue the stoning ritual for the next two to three days. They must get as close as possible to each of the three pillars, standing in ditches several meters deep, to be sure that the stones they throw hit the target.
All the pilgrims have to get into an area stretching about 300 meters from where the pillars are located.
In the wake of a stampede that cost 35 lives last year and two other crushes in 1994 and 1998 that killed 388 pilgrims, authorities have drawn up a timetable for different delegations to complete the stoning ritual.
