Muzdalifah, on their return from Mount Arafat, more than 1.8 million pilgrims today turned towards Mina for the rite of stoning the devil, as the Muslim world begins the Feast of Sacrifice.
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Against a backdrop of other mountains the pilgrims squatted, stood, or climbed up steps constructed into the hill while reciting the Koran.
The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars symbolizing Satan, during the annual hajj pilgrimage on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia Sept. 12, 2016.
Under multicoloured parasols to protect against the burning sun, the mass of people move through broad streets which are closed to traffic around Mount Arafat.
“By the time Prince Salman travels to Indonesia, there may already be a statement on how much additional quota can be given to us”, Widodo said Monday. “I’m here closer to God”.
Women forgo makeup and perfume and wear loose-fitting clothing and a head covering, while men dress in seamless, white terry cloth garments. It symbolises a state of purity and emphasises their unity regardless of social status or nationality. “Everyone here shares the same joy”.
Prefabricated lodging is set up for pilgrims but some erected their own colored tents.
Around sunset, yesterday the pilgrims headed to an area called Muzdalifa, 5.5 miles west of Arafat.
Saudi Arabia has launched a Persian-language satellite television channel covering the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage amid an escalating spat with its regional rival Iran.
Saudi Arabia has invested billions of dollars in hajj infrastructure and safety projects over the years. Authorities announced an investigation into the disaster but no results have ever been released, although a number of safety measures have been taken.
Among these is the distribution of digital bracelets to the pilgrims to help identify and guide them in the congestion.
Since then, Saudi authorities have widened narrow streets in Mina that lead to the large pedestrian paths around the Jamarat Complex. The Saudi government has deployed drones to prevent the same tragedy from happening again.
Turkish Deputy Minister of Environment and Urbanization Mehmet Ceylan, who was among the Turkish Hajj delegation, confirmed that “organizing this huge number of crowds is not an easy task, and Saudi Arabia, due to its long experience, is making improvements annually”.
On Sunday, helicopters monitored the crowd flow from the skies, while on the ground, police directed pedestrian movement.
Earlier in the week, Iran’s supreme leader accused Saudi authorities of murdering pilgrims during last year’s crush.
The numbers are down this year because of the absence of 64,000 Iranians over tensions between their Shiite nation and the Sunni-dominated kingdom.
Diauddin Sadr Al-Ashrafi, an Iranian who was performing Haj for the first time, said he was happy to be among the millions of pilgrims who came for Haj from various parts of the world.
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A senior Iranian official says Saudi Arabia has politicized the Hajj rituals, advising officials in Riyadh against trying Tehran’s patience.
