Official figures issued late last Saturday said the total number of pilgrims had risen to 1.8 million.
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Muslim pilgrims leave after they finished their prayers at Namira Mosque in Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia September 11, 2016.
He said the ban was in line with a decision by Iran to bar its citizens from performing Hajj this year due to differences with Saudi Arabia.
A year ago almost 800 Iranian pilgrims were killed and nearly 2,000 in total killed at the Mount, according to Reuters.
“It’s marvellous. I’m here closer to God”.
“We feel at ease and are totally benefiting from our pilgrimage”, Soumaya, 30, from Mali, told the AFP news agency.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj must be performed at least once in a lifetime by all Muslims who can afford the costly and hard trip. In several European countries, United States and Canada, Muslim community centres have arranged Eid prayers for the community members.
“It’s handsome to see the Muslims of the world pray together here”, said Indian pilgrim Mohammed Arafan, 40.
According to a Saudi news report, the top cleric would not address the pilgrims at Arafat for “health reasons” on Sunday.
A white sea of the faithful surged from Mina to Arafat as dawn broke on the second day of the five-day pilgrimage.
Guides in orange vests helped to direct pilgrims while police cars patrolled and troops were stationed at regular intervals.
They will spend the day on the mountain and move by sunset to the rocky plain of Muzdalifa, where they will gather pebbles to stone columns symbolizing the devil at another location called Jamarat on Monday, which marks the first day of Eid al-Adha (feast of sacrifice).
Saudi Arabia has stuck by its initial death toll of 769, but figures compiled from officials in more than 30 countries gave a tally nearly three times higher.
Saudi Arabia announced an investigation but no results have ever been released, although a number of safety measures have been taken.
Government facilities have been moved out of Mina to free up space, Saudi newspapers reported, and roads in the Jamarat area expanded.
This year’s event has been free of trouble so far, said a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Mansur al-Turki. “I saw dozens of bodies”, said Oumar Kante, a Malian army colonel who survived the crush and says better organisation would have prevented the suffering and deaths.
Despite the safety and security measures which Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia says it has taken, Shiah Iran has angrily questioned the kingdom’s custodianship of Islam’s holiest places.
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The Iranian interests section explained that visiting the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) on the Day of Arafah is deemed a very honorable action by Muslims. He said that gathering of Muslims in large numbers also symbolised a message of unity which needs to be followed.
