The stampede legacy has contributed to renewed tensions between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran, which is not sending pilgrims for the first time in almost three decades.
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Last year, 2 million Muslims from around the world descended on Mecca, doubling its population and crowding into the city and surrounding towns in temperatures that reached 110 degrees F. Some global governments, including Iran’s, accused Saudi officials of incompetence in their crowd-control measures.
The official Saudi toll of 769 people killed and 934 injured has not changed since September 26.
The Chinese pilgrim told the official Saudi Press Agency that he had cycled a total of 8,150 kilometers – and crossed several national borders – before reaching Mecca via the King Fahd Causeway, which links Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. “If I die or if there are problems – of course we hope not – but if it does happen I know I will be identified”, he said.
Water-resistant and connected to Global Positioning System, the devices will also instruct worshippers on timings of prayers and a multilingual help desk will guide pilgrims around the various rituals. The kingdom has never addressed the discrepancy, nor has it released any results of an investigation authorities promised to conduct over the disaster.
But there has been no figure for the number of bracelets distributed so far.
The pilgrims will spend the day there reciting the Holy Quran and praying.
White-clad worshipers filled the sprawling mosque, its courtyard, and spread through the surrounding streets. Iran said 464 nationals died in last year’s crush, the largest number of dead by nationality. He added the Iranian accusations that Saudi Arabia is banning the Iranian pilgrims from performing Hajj are blatant lies since the kingdom has given Iran more than one chance to register the Iranian pilgrims without any politicisation of this Islamic pillar.
This poses the question – has Saudi really failed in its administration of the Hajj and its service for the pilgrims who come to visit Islam’s holiest site?
The two countries do not have diplomatic relations and are at loggerheads over a series of regional issues including the conflicts in Yemen and Syria.
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Though Saudi authorities allocated around 64,000 places for Iranians, none are taking part this year because of a breakdown in negotiations last May over arrangements, including safety measures needed to avoid a repeat of a September 2015 stampede that killed over 2,300 pilgrims.
