Saudis can look back with pleasure and pride on a highly successful Haj which saw nearly 2 million pilgrims gathering in Makkah and the holy sites. The amount of planning and organization that went into this huge gathering of the faithful from all over the world represents a mammoth challenge for all those involved under the direction of the Haj Ministry. It is all the more impressive given that expansion work is under way at the Grand Mosque.

Many people contributed to the success, from the planners in the ministry who began their work even as the last pilgrim headed home at the end of last year’s Haj, to the volunteers who handed out water and cared for and guided the guests of God after they had arrived for the greatest moment of their lives.

A particularly notable contribution came from the 5,000 young Saudis who were helping pilgrims perform the rituals this season. The Technical and Vocational Training Council Institute in Makkah working with the Haj Ministry provided skilled young people to look after mosques, do cleaning jobs, repair air-conditioning units and vehicles and generally look after pilgrims at the holy sites and along the roads leading to Makkah. Key to their duties was the politeness and helpfulness that the Kingdom seeks to extend to all its guests.

Saudi Arabia levies no fees on its Haj and Umrah visitors and government agencies provide all their services free. Indeed every year the Kingdom invests billions of riyals on projects in Makkah and Madinah to improve the services and ensure safety and security of pilgrims. This year for instance, some 20.8 million liters of Zamzam water was handed out.

The concerns that this year’s season would be threatened by the SARS-related coronavirus proved baseless, largely thanks to preventative measures taken in advance. It is arguable that the public health provisions for the 2013 Haj have never been better. Those who were sick or injured over the course of their pilgrimage were quickly attended to by waiting first aiders and where necessary, were then transferred swiftly to hospital. Much attention was given to pilgrims who might, unknowingly, have been suffering from a virus that they could pass onto other during the Haj. The risk of the transmission of illness among such a very large number of people coming together from all over the world has always been at the forefront of official thinking.

The smoothness of the running of the Haj was almost certainly assisted by the decision to limit the number of domestic and foreign pilgrims. Around 105,000 came from the Kingdom itself and quotas were closely enforced for other countries. Normally, the overseas quota from Muslim countries is one pilgrim per thousand of a country’s population but this year is was cut by 20 percent because of the work at the Grand Mosque. Described by the Haj Ministry as “exceptional and temporary”, there can be no doubt that it ensured the safety of the pilgrims who did come.

Inevitably there were some sad moments due either to inefficiency or perhaps dishonesty by a very few service providers. This 20,000 Pakistani pilgrims who had paid for their train tickets, discovered when they arrived in Makkah that they were not available. Thus the unfortunate pilgrims were obliged to walk the six kilometers from Makkah to Mina.

However as with all the fraudulent campaigns which unfortunately disfigure the Haj for a relatively few unfortunates, the Kingdom looks to make good a portion of the losses of pilgrims, who undertaking their trip of a lifetime, are exploited by unscrupulous individuals.

Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar has said that victims will be compensated, at rates varying between 15 percent and 60 percent of the pilgrim’s contract value. Thus even in cases of fraud by others, the Kingdom is determined to look after the interests of its guests.

There were also concerns this year, that despite the Kingdom’s provision of expert professional barbers, unlicensed practitioners were again at work. The danger of heads being shaved in unhygienic surroundings with implements that are not properly sterilized are clear enough but unfortunately many pilgrims do not understand the risks and it seems are persuaded that using the unlicensed barbers is appropriate.

The work to improve and expand the facilities at Makkah and Madinah goes on, with yet more ambitious projects under way, to make the Haj a safe and fulfilling experience for all pilgrims. That this year’s Haj has passed off so well should be a cause of deep satisfaction and pride for every Saudi.