Iranians, however, are prohibited from making the pilgrimage this year.
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Earlier in the week, Iran’s supreme leader accused Saudi authorities of murdering pilgrims during last year’s crush.
Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it had launched a television channel to broadcast the Hajj rituals in the Persian language, also known as Farsi, spoken in Iran.
Since then, Saudi authorities have widened narrow streets in Mina that lead to the large pedestrian paths around the Jamarat Complex.
In recent weeks, rhetoric between the two capitals has escalated. A prominent Saudi cleric responded by saying Iran’s leaders are “not Muslim”.
Around 1.8 million Muslims are attending this year’s Hajj, according to Saudi officials.
The day spent on Mount Arafat is the pinnacle of the five-day hajj pilgrimage, which all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform at least once. “Saudi Arabia, which manages the hajj, investigated how that could have happened, but it’s not released results, which has infuriated Iran, which lost hundreds of citizens”. Security officials have placed 1,000 cameras at strategic locations to allow constant monitoring of events.
From this year pilgrims are given electronic bracelets storing personal and medical information that will help authorities provide care and identify non-Arabic speaking people. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, which Saudi Arabia believes was inspired by the Islamic State group.
Others came on a train that connects the holy sites.
The annual Hajj pilgrimage reached its climax on Sunday when the Muslims from across the world swarmed a stoney hill in western Saudi Arabia to pray and recite from the Holy Quran.
The ritual is being performed by the Hajj pilgrims from over 164 countries as smoothly as ever even as King Salman, who is also present in Mina, is personally monitoring the security arrangement.
The tragic incident took place when two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads during the symbolic ceremony of the stoning of Satan in Jamarat in September 2015. After offering pre-dawn prayers there, pilgrims are now moving to plains of Arafat where they will spend the day praying and asking for God’s forgiveness.
The Hajj is followed by Eid al-Adha, which is on Monday. “This is the most important thing; to come up here to pray for Syria”, says Fadia Awad from Jiser Al-Shughur in Idlib.
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The final days of hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice”, to commemorate Ibrahim’s test of faith.
