The pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat, around 15 km from Mecca for one long day and live in tents from dawn to dusk.
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The faithful recited ritual incantations, prayed and read from the Quran on the first day of the Hajj.
While following a route the Prophet Muhammad once walked, the rites of Hajj are believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible.
The Jamarat stoning will also be more tightly controlled than in previous years.
But that’s not enough for Iran, which opted instead to endorse an alternative pilgrimage to Karbala, an Islamic holy site in Iraq.
Following the stampede and the execution of a Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia, which renewed diplomatic tensions between the two countries, the Iranian government blocked its citizens from attending this year.
The leader of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has lashed out at Saudi Arabia for mishandling of the Hajj rituals, saying restrictions imposed on Muslims for this year’s Hajj are reminiscent of Israel’s repeated desecration of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Among its concerns over Iranian participation in this year’s haj, Riyadh said Teheran had demanded the right to organise demonstrations.
In recent weeks, rhetoric between the two capitals has escalated. In response, Saudi Arabia’s mufti said Iran’s leaders were not Muslims.
The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. For able-bodied Muslims who can afford it, the journey is a religious duty to be completed at least once in their lifetime. The series said 300 Iranian pilgrims caused last year’s crush by taking a wrong turn in the direction opposite to where they had been assigned to move. Official figures reported that of the total attending the pilgrimage this year, 1, 325 372 have traveled from other countries, while 537,000 reside in the kingdom, of which only 170, 492 are Saudis, as others are expatriates living here. Security officials have placed 1,000 cameras at strategic locations to allow constant monitoring of events.
Also for the first time, pilgrims will be given electronic bracelets storing personal and medical information that will help authorities provide care and identify people.
Saudi Arabia initially published a death toll of 770 and refused to update the number of fatalities later. There, they will spend the night under the open sky until just before sunrise and begin collecting pebbles for the next day’s rites.
“You realize the mercy of Allah, that we are here to seek his forgiveness and that this hajj, God willing, will make a change in my life where I can change and become a better Muslim”, said Canadian pilgrim Assad Yakoub.
The Hajj is followed by Eid al-Adha, which is on Monday.
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Saudi Arabia is home to Islam’s holiest sites, which pilgrims visit during the haj, and is the seat of Sunni Islam which predominates in the Muslim world.
