MAKKAH, 8 February 2003 — The orders from the editor in chief were clear: Don’t go inside the Grand Mosque. Park in Ruseifah and pray in the outer area. Then talk to the myriad of pilgrims from all over the world, and take comprehensive notes.

It seemed deceptively simple.

We, a three-man Arab News team, drove into Makkah and immediately encountered a wall of security barriers designed to turn away people without valid pilgrimage papers. These forced us to divert down side streets, so instead of arriving by the familiar route we found ourselves on King Abdul Aziz Street — with the Holy Mosque behind us.

Parking was the next challenge. The alleyways and thoroughfares were filled with vehicles of every description. We shoe-horned our Toyota Echo into a gap near Al-Aseel Palace, an area packed with Turkish pilgrims.

Turki Al-Zahrani, a cab driver, gave us a ride back to the Holy Mosque and filled us in on the atmosphere in Makkah before dropping us off at one of the underground entrances to the Holy Mosque.

This is when we realized that orders, even from the editor in chief, are more for guidance than strict adherence.

We were right in the middle of the mass of pilgrims crowding the precincts of the Holy Mosque. The escalators taking us up were closed. Pilgrims were squatting everywhere. We had to form flying wedge to force our way through out of there.

At times pilgrims would curse us; but other pilgrims were immediately at hand to remind them that there should be no cursing of others in the mosque.

A group of women and men from Albania guided us to the outer area. The mid-day sun was beating down on us and we were becoming uncomfortably sweaty. Thankfully, a cool breeze sprang up to cool us a little.

Close by, there was a sudden moment of chaos. One of the security guards charged with keeping the crowd opposite King Fahd Gate in check lost control. He responded irritably to our questions. He was tired, having been on duty since Fajr prayers.

The immediate problem was where best to position ourselves to talk to pilgrims. One of us had a sudden flash of inspiration. We would get on one of the buses in the SAPTCO parking lot opposite King Fahd Gate with its two imposing minarets standing like sentinels to guard humanity.

So here we were, on top of one of the SAPTCO buses. Everywhere we turned there was a seething mass of pilgrims. Some were contemplating a life gone by; some remembering a relative recently lost. Others were thinking of the people they had left behind while undertaking the holy journey.

Taking their cue from us, a group of able-bodied pilgrims hopped onto the rooftop and stared fixedly as we tried to capture the moment on camera.

The Valley of Makkah was by then reverberating with the imam’s words. We heard them echo from the surrounding mountains. All around us grand hotels and buildings dotted the scene. On our left was Dar Al-Tawhid Inter-Continental. On our right was Makkah Towers Hotel. Behind us was the Dar Al-Firdaus.

We were facing the Holy Mosque.

The call to prayer uncoiled in sinuous beauty from the minarets. The pilgrims dutifully arranged themselves in proper order.

Prayer finishes and like a giant stirring after a moment of reflection, the city gradually comes back to life.

The top of the bus is now too hot for comfort and we had to address ourselves to the practicalities getting off and gathering the news we came for.

The editor in chief must be angry with us for not heeding his advice; but this is what happens when you have almost two million people crammed into a relatively small area.

Even the best plans come unstuck when it is the last Friday prayers before Haj, and you are in the middle of it.

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(Siraj Wahab, along with Essam Al-Ghalib and Hassan Adawi, will be covering the Haj for Arab News.)