MINA, 30 January 2004 — Pilgrims started pouring into this tent city near Makkah on the eve of the annual pilgrimage as Saudi authorities said all arrangements were in place for the world’s largest Muslim gathering.
The logistics required to support the millions of pilgrims are astounding. Interior Ministry officials told a press conference here that all preparations for the Haj were complete.
Twenty thousand buses were called into service to transport some 1.5 million pilgrims from Makkah to Mina after Isha prayers last night, although many pilgrims chose to walk to the tent city.
More than 10,000 food outlets have been set up to feed the faithful. Bakeries are equipped to make 10 million loaves of bread a day.
The Ministry of Health is on full alert, waiting to serve the guests of God. “We have opened 29 health centers in Mina, 46 in Arafat and six in Muzdalifah,” said Dr. Khaled Mirghalani of the Health Ministry.
“We have huge stockpiles of medicines to combat any outbreak of disease. However, there are no reports of any contagious diseases among the pilgrims,” he said.
The pilgrims will spend the day in prayer and meditation in Mina, which has been transformed into a site of fireproof tents.
Before dawn on Saturday, the faithful will move toward Mount Arafat, a site revered in Islam, for the culmination of the Haj, symbolizing the Final Judgment.
They will then return to Mina the next day after spending the night in Muzdalifa to stone at Jamrat, or pillars representing the devil, and there sacrifice animals. They will spend two more days in Mina to take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil.
The precise number of pilgrims has not been published. Yesterday was the last day for residents of the Kingdom to secure Haj permits to take part in this year’s pilgrimage.
Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Sajeeni, director general of the Passport Department, said Wednesday that up until Tuesday evening 1.39 million Muslims had come from overseas. Haj Minister Iyad Madani has said that some 500,000 Saudis and expatriate workers will take part in the Haj.
Hospitals and health centers have been set up to aid the faithful who should find the Haj easier this year thanks to the cooler climate. Local temperatures vary between 17 and 32 degrees Celsius (63 and 90 Fahrenheit).
Among the early arrivals to Mina were old and young pilgrims who felt it was better to start out in advance rather than getting caught up in the general rush today.
“We came in early because the weather is pleasant and we came on foot from Makkah,” said Saghir Ushani and his five friends. “It took us three hours to reach Mina, but we took a lot of breaks,” said Saghir, a French national.
There were many visitors to Jamrat Al-Aqaba, a place that will be visited by every pilgrim on Sunday for the stoning ritual. “We are here to familiarize ourselves with it. We will be coming here tomorrow along with our group. This will be our second Haj, and we know that it is extremely difficult to locate your tents at the last moment. So we are a bit like a pilot team for our group,” said another pilgrim who arrived early.
The road from Jeddah was in good condition and traffic moved swiftly. Busloads of pilgrims and trucks packed with sheep drove along the right lanes while police escorting VIPs whizzed by on the left.
The four checkpoints on the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway are fully manned, but caused no delay. In Mina itself, traffic congestion is being kept to a minimum by keeping small vehicles away from the place. Only 4x4 vehicles with permits were being allowed in. Abdul Raees and his extended family have come for Haj. Their group includes not only children but spouses and grandchildren as well, with the youngest member to join them just two months old. They had completed their tawaf in Makkah earlier in the day and took a taxi into Mina.
“We are so very happy to be here,” said Adil Muhammad Yusuf from Somalia. “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 Allah only knows how much more we have to walk. We want to get as close as possible to all the facilities before making our camp.”
— Additional reporting by Saeed Haider and Hassan Adawi
