The special checkpoints on King Abdullah Road, King Khaled Road, King Fahd Road, the Haj Street, Shashsha Street and the King Abdul Aziz Road allowed only buses carrying pilgrims to run on those roads, commander of the checkpoints Col. Muhammad Al-Basami said.

“We appeal to all small and unlicensed vehicles to keep away from the entry points to the holy sites and facilitate the smooth entry of pilgrim buses,” Al-Basami said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.

On Saturday pilgrims will travel to Arafat on the Taif Road, the Road 2 and the Linear Road across the holy sites in addition to using the Mashair Railway, Al-Basami said. Trains will be used by the domestic and South Asian pilgrims.

The commander added that pilgrims from the Arab countries and South East Asia would enter Arafat on the Taif Road and the Road 2 would be reserved for Iranian pilgrims, while Al-Hada Al-Kar road will be assigned to non-Muslim travelers outside the borders of Makkah.

Any vehicles with less than 25 seats found on the Aziziyah Road will be diverted to Abdullah Khayyat Road, those on the South Aziziyah Road diverted to Al-Nour Hospital Road, and those on the King Abdullah Bridge diverted to Muzdalifah Road so that traffic on the roads is smoother, he said.

On Sunday (10th of Dul Hijjah) and the following three days of Tashriq, the western side of Mina will remain closed to traffic and vehicles coming on the King Faisal Bridge will be diverted to the Daqam Al-Wabr car park.

The vehicles coming from the Al-Sadd tunnels to the South Aziziyah Road will also be diverted to the Daqam park. Those coming on the Aziziyah General Road will also be told to go east to the park area.

Al-Basami also urged officials of Haj delegations not to park their vehicles at Aziziyah or nearby neighborhoods as sufficient space is available in Muzdalifah and close to railway station No. 3 in Arafat. Pilgrims in Haj delegation buses can board trains to Mina from there, he said.

Traffic officers on the Abdullah Khayyat road will work on the Tashriq days and all cars on the road will be sent to the Daqam Wabr park as the area and the King Khaled Tunnel are to be used only by pedestrians. All vehicles would have to go to the eastern side of Mina because the west will be closed.

On the days of return from Mina, both lanes on the King Abdul Aziz Road will be used by cars heading for Makkah. Traffic movement on other roads will be determined as per daily requirements.

The returning pilgrims will travel on King Fahd Road, Prince Majed Road, Grand Mosque Road, King Abdullah Road, King Khaled Road, the King Abdullah-Khayyat intersection, the Kudai parks and then to the Central Zone. After the stoning at Jamrat, pilgrims can also return by train, he said.