MAKKAH, 17 February — Authorities have beefed up the security presence in and around Makkah as more than two million faithful from all over the world converged on the holy city for the annual pilgrimage.
Police were controlling the main entrances to Makkah to prevent unauthorized people from entering the city at the heart of which stands the Grand Mosque. Thousands of police and security personnel have also been deployed at the sacred sites on the outskirts of the city, which pilgrims visit as part of elaborate five-day rituals that begin on Wednesday.
The authorities have mobilized some 60,000 employees and volunteers, in addition to 20,000 soldiers and security men for the Haj.
Thousands of flights have landed at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, carrying hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from more than 160 countries.
An airport official said yesterday more than one million pilgrims had already arrived by air up to Friday midnight. The deadline for foreign pilgrims to arrive by plane passed midnight yesterday. The government has granted several exemptions to land after the deadline, he said.
Among those who arrived were 890 Afghan pilgrims aboard two chartered planes. A total of 15,000 Afghans were enrolled for the Haj but airport officials said no more flights were expected from Kabul yesterday.
About 200,000 to 300,000 other pilgrims were expected to arrive by sea and land from outside the Kingdom. They will be joined by more than half a million others from inside the country.
Experts predict a turnout of around 2.5 million pilgrims, some 500,000 more than last year, due mainly to the tension in the Islamic world in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
Authorities have appealed for a peaceful pilgrimage and warned they will not allow any political activity or protests, particularly against the United States.
Imam of the Grand Mosque Osama Khayyat urged pilgrims during his Friday sermon to stay away from trouble and to focus on the benefits of Haj. Some two million worshipers joined the Friday congregation at the mosque.
Masses of the faithful men dressed in two pieces of seamless white cloth and women with head cover thronged the Grand Mosque to circle the cube-shaped Kaaba seven times on arrival.
While making the rotation around the Ka’aba, the faithful prayed passionately for God to forgive their sins and to accept their pilgrimage. Muslims believe a true pilgrimage absolves sins and cleanses the soul.
Pilgrims then make the “Saiy”, a walk repeated seven times between two hillocks, where Prophet Abraham’s wife Hagar searched for water for baby Ismail (peace be upon them) until she found the Zamzam Spring, which still runs in the same place today.
The Haj, which every able-bodied Muslim must carry out at least once if he has the means, starts in earnest on Wednesday when the pilgrims move to Mina, a valley outside Makkah, where they will be housed in fire-proof tents.
They keep an all-night vigil in Mina, and on Thursday will move to “stand” on the plains of Arafat, 12 kilometers away, the climax of the Haj. Here, they will stay until sunset, praying for forgiveness.
The Health Ministry has prepared some 21 hospitals and 300 medical centers, with a capacity of 7,000 beds, in Makkah, the surrounding sites and the city of Madinah, some 450 km to the north. An extra 9,000 medical staff have been drafted in.
Health Minister Osama Shubokshi said in remarks published yesterday that no cases of infectious diseases have been discovered.
Six huge water tanks have been built in Mina and Arafat with a capacity of 300,000 cubic meters (10.6 million cubic feet). Some 13,000 cleaners with vehicles have also been deployed.
Eid Al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice, starts on Friday when pilgrims sacrifice animals and stone three pillars representing Satan.
