MINA, 9 February 2003 — The first few hundred pilgrims trickled toward the plains of Mina at dusk yesterday, on the eve of this year’s Haj. They arrived by bus, car and on foot, all anticipating the five days of rituals ahead.

More than 6,000 fast-food outlets were there to meet their needs, and local bakeries were already producing five million loaves a day.

The pilgrims slept in flame-proof tents introduced in the wake of a fire in 1997, in which hundreds of pilgrims perished.

The pilgrims spent their time praying, reading the Qur’an and sleeping.

Tomorrow they will climb Mount Arafat, where they pray for forgiveness.

Among the first-comers were the old and infirm, avoiding the rush.

“We came in early because the weather is pleasant and we were walking from Makkah,” said Shaukat Ali, who was busy camping down in Camp No. 61 with his parents. “It took us three hours to reach Mina, but that was with a lot of breaks.”

There were many visitors near the Jamarat Al-Aqaba, where by every pilgrim will perform the stoning ritual on Tuesday.

“We are here to familiarize ourselves with the city,” said Fazal Muhammad from Peshwar, Pakistan.

“We will be coming here on Tuesday along with our group. This is our second Haj, and we know from last time that it’s extremely difficult to locate your tent at the last moment.”

Abdel Menem Ghareeb Ahmad was traveling with his children – and their children and spouses. The youngest member of the group was only two months old. They had completed their tawaf in Makkah earlier in the day, and caught a cab into Mina.

“We are so very happy to be here,” he told Arab News. “We wanted to arrive early to beat the rush and it seems like we have succeeded. We walked from the beginning of this bridge with all our bags and children in tow. We have walked about two kilometers and only Allah knows how much more we have to walk. We want to get as close as possible to all the facilities before setting up camp.”

Throughout the night until Fajr (dawn) prayers today, millions of pilgrims will continue to descend on Mina, and the clean, empty streets will be no more.

Late last night, the sound of the public address system bellowing out messages competed with the sound of police and emergency vehicle sirens.

Today the reality of Haj; the disciplined excitement of the massive crowd; the feeling of togetherness and sweet belonging – it all becomes a reality.

— Additional reporting byHassan Adawi