The Haj is a logistical nightmare!
Think about it. Strangers flooding into the desert on a very special journey, almost definitely for just this one time in their lives, trying to perform an intricate pilgrimage that takes place in locations up to 20 kilometres apart — the distance between Mecca and the plain of Arafat.
The majority of the two-and-a-half million people who descend upon the holy city of Mecca arrive with hardly any idea of what to do when they get there. One of my contacts at the Ministry of Information in Jeddah jokes about how he received a call from a Muslim woman journalist based in America, who wanted to perform the Haj herself while she was there on assignment. She told him that she had gotten books on the subject but was so confused after reading them, that she had given up on the idea. He laughed and told her to put away the books, and listen to his explanation for a few minutes on the phone. At the end of it, she said, ‘Is that really it?’
He explained that there can be a lot of intricacies, but that the core of the Haj is not that complicated. What makes it that much more daunting is that it is performed among so many other people.
From the moment they arrive at the airport — the way most pilgrims reach
Saudi Arabia nowadays — there is a concerted effort to make sure they don’t get lost, separated, or traumatized by the overwhelming crowd. Many come as part of organized tour groups that arrange everything from the aspiring-pilgrim’s visa, to hotel accommodation and transportation. In fact, those groups try to stay as close together as possible throughout the rituals of the Haj. At Jeddah Airport’s Haj Terminal, which looks like a massive tent structure adjacent to the main terminal, poles with small flags wave around like mad, as tour leaders try to keep groups in tight cliques. Sometimes, the flags represent a particular tour operator, sometimes they are simply the flags of the country from which the pilgrims hail. It certainly makes a colorful sight. In some cases, the pilgrims nervously cling to the coat-tails of the person in front of them and form a human chain as they weave towards their bus transportation. It’s almost impossible to break through one of the chains, as no-one wants to let go and risk becoming disembodied from the torso of the group. After trying to pass through, one time, and being elbowed roughly in the stomach by a small East Asian woman — I know her nationality but will spare her countrymen the embarrassment — I realized how seriously they take they connection to the group. I never tried it again!
There is a sincere effort made by many of these tour groups to educate the pilgrims to the sequence of events they will undergo, and alert them to any problems that may come up, but once actually there, the pilgrims are likely to forget all their ‘training’ as they look upon the imposing Grand Mosque and focus on getting as many prayers in as possible.
Dr. Ahmad Ibn Saiffudin, an Islamic scholar I consulted the first time I reported on the Haj (and may times after) told me that most of those who come to Mecca spend more time praying than sleeping. Every free moment, they are in or around the Grand Mosque, or Al-Haram, as it’s often called, in reference to it being “The Sanctuary”. “Each prayer in this place is multiplied thousands of times. It has more spiritual value”, he told me. “Even praying in sight of this special place multiplies the strength of the prayer.”
When I mentioned this to one of the pilgrims I befriended, he said, “Of course! It’s like you’re praying closer to God’s ear.”
The presence of the Grand Mosque at the center of Mecca is awe-inspiring and there’s an inexplicable air of calm within it. Being inside the massive marble structure — which can hold around a million worshippers — is almost surreal. Time seems to stand still, and despite the presence of so many people, it feels like there is a preternatural silence.
In the center, the Kaaba stands like a spiritual rock, clad in black silk cloth. A simple cubic structure, but such a complex symbol of Islamic unity. The sight from the balconies overlooking the Kaaba is breathtaking. It’s the only place in the world that Muslims can be seen praying in a large circle.
This really is the centre of Islam.
It’s hard to believe that the rings of people praying around the Kaaba can be so perfectly formed, but it’s hard to spot a flaw in the pattern created by all those faithful worshippers. It’s also hard to spot an empty place on the floor of the Grand Mosque during the peak periods of the Haj. Everyone wants to be there. Those who can’t squeeze into the Mosque itself spread out across the huge forecourt and up to half-a-mile up the roads around it. The first time I walked down towards Al-Haram, I felt lost in the sea of people. What struck me most, however, was when the sea came to a halt so far from the actual Mosque itself. Prayer time had come, and people were scrambling for a place to lay their prayer mat. A lot of people simply grabbed scraps of cardboard boxes, and used them as a base on the tarmac. People praying in the middle of the road. In fact, there was no road visible because every inch was occupied.
As the Haj has grown in size, the demand for space in and around the Mosque has become an issue for the Saudi authorities, who are, after all, the guardians of Islam’s two holiest sites; this remarkable structure in Mecca, and the massive Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, 447 kilometers to the north, which is also heavily visited by pilgrims on the Haj.
Over the years, the Saudi Kingdom has spent the equivalent of more than two billion US dollars on expanding the capacity of the Grand Mosque. Add to that the extra infrastructure such as more roads, tunnels cut through the small rocky hills around Mecca, larger water reservoirs, plus work on the Prophet’s Mosque, and the bill goes up another six billion dollars, give or take the odd million. Those figures were published in a book sponsored by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which has no reason to exaggerate. Looking at the pictures of Mecca past and present, and it’s easy to see where the money went.
Plus there is a massive annual bill on maintaining and running the Haj. Though they won’t say exactly how much it costs to stage the Haj annually — actually, they admit they don’t even really know — the Ministry of Information says they will continue to do so, as it is one of Saudi Arabia’s main duties.
One of the officials put it this way, “God has made us the Custodians of the Two Holy Sites and He has also given us the resources to meet that obligation. We are a wealthy nation. God has made sure we have the funds to look after his guests.”
The pilgrims I’ve spoken to over the years are generally very impressed with the work of the Saudi authorities. It doesn’t take long before those performing the Haj get an idea of what the logistics entail. The only complaint I really ever heard was the occasional gripe against some of the more shady tour operators who make promises such as accommodation _on the doorstep of Al-Haram_. When the pilgrim turns up to the location, they find that the “doorstep” is obviously much larger than they expected, and up to a couple of miles from the Grand Mosque.
Other than that, everyone wants the Haj to run smoothly. The pilgrims don’t want to be distracted from performing a proper Haj, and the authorities don’t want there to be problems for their visitors. Millions of Saudi riyals are spent on getting the flow of people as safe and efficient as possible, and any difficulties that do arise are usually dealt with quickly. Traffic control is planned carefully. Any injuries are treated at hospitals set up near the main centers of pilgrim activity, with emergency helicopter transport on standby too. Medicine and nutrition is made widely available.
The Haj may be a time for spiritual effort, but it is definitely also one demanding a large logistical effort.