MINA, 21 February — More than two million faithful from around the world flowed into the tent city of Mina, 12 km south of Makkah, yesterday on the first day of this year’s Haj.

They started moving to the Mina Valley early morning, chanting Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (Here I am, O God, answering your call) making the trek in one of the 20,000 buses, in private cars or on foot, in the largest spiritual journey.

The faithful — men clad in a two-piece seamless white cloth and women covered except for the hands and face — who arrived from more than 120 countries, will gather today on the plain of Arafat, 15 km from Makkah, marking the climax of the Haj. They will spend the day praying for mercy, in a symbolic enactment of the Final Judgment.

“I am so moved, I can’t describe the happiness inside me,” a Syrian pilgrim said, tears rolling down his cheeks. “I am embarking on Haj in God’s holiest land, it’s a dream come true.” “I am very proud that God has given me the opportunity to perform Haj,” said Asif Razry, from Turkey. “May God accept our Haj.”

Makkah Governor and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee Prince Abdul Majeed declared that the pilgrims’ mass trek to Mina was completed successfully in a record time without any major incident.

As midday shade temperatures hit 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit), many on foot carried white umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. Others sought respite in the warren of tunnels leading to the valley.

Enormous signs lining the roads urged pilgrims to avoid bottlenecks, also informing them they were forbidden to sleep outside the camp area, especially on pavements or bridges.

Pilgrims spend the night under 44,000 fireproof tents in a campsite with space for 1.5 million people. Saudi authorities have readied 60,000 toilets, hundreds of telephone boxes, running water and electricity for the comfortable stay of pilgrims in this otherwise uninhabited valley. According to official statistics released by Prince Muhammad ibn Naif, assistant minister of interior, 1,354,184 pilgrims have come from abroad for this year’s Haj. Women pilgrims accounted for 45 percent with their number reaching 608,115, the prince pointed out. Among the pilgrims are the presidents of Chad and Mauritania.

Around 11,000 Afghans were among the last pilgrims to arrive. Saudi Arabia, Britain, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates airlifted stranded pilgrims from Afghanistan after Saudi Arabia extended a Sunday deadline for pilgrims’ arrival. Haj Minister Iyad Madani said he expected the number of pilgrims this year to exceed last year’s figure of two million.

Muhammad Istradly, 53, from South Carolina, wished for a Haj where everyone would be polite and helpful. He disliked the pushing and rushing, especially when he found himself unavoidably caught up in it.

Annan Hassan Ali, an Egyptian living in New York City, said she came to renew herself spiritually. “I came here with only one idea in mind, to pray for Allah’s help. When I stand on the plains of Arafat I will certainly pray to God: Please bring peace to the world, for all Muslims and non-Muslims,” she added.

Saudi authorities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to cut down the risk of disaster during the five-day event, the largest gathering of Muslims in the world.

Thousands of police and civil defense personnel, backed up by nine helicopters, have been mobilized to oversee security.

Police had to turn back nearly 60,000 intending pilgrims from Makkah in the last three days for trying to enter the city illegally, a senior security official said.

Health Minister Dr. Osama Shubokshi announced that the health condition of pilgrims was satisfactory. “No cases of epidemic have been reported,” he told reporters after inspecting hospitals and health centers in Mina.

The minister said that most sick pilgrims at hospitals had been suffering from illness related to old age and chronic diseases that had no connection with the Haj. However, he said the government was extra cautious about any unforeseen development.

Tomorrow, Friday, they return to Mina to stone three pillars representing Satan, as Muslims worldwide begin celebrating Eid Al-Adha (feast of the sacrifice) to mark Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son Ismail for God.

The Mina tents are air-conditioned and fireproofed to prevent a recurrence of a blaze which cost 343 lives in 1997.