MAKKAH, 29 December 2006 — Pilgrims were seen yesterday collecting stones from hills in the holy city’s Aziziyah neighborhood to be used during their stoning ritual at Jamrat, some even working as if they were part of a chain gang, breaking stones with hammers.
Locals have complained to authorities about the noise of breaking stones and the traffic problems that have been caused.
Apparently, they are collecting stones from this location instead of collecting them at Muzdalifah as pilgrims traditionally do on their trek back from the standing at Arafat, which takes place today, out of concern that they won’t find stones at the area.
The stoning ritual represented the Prophet Ibrahim’s (peace be upon him) brush with the devil in the valley of Mina. Some pilgrims said they were collecting the stones as souvenirs to give to friends and family back home: a little piece of the holy city of Makkah.
