An Indonesian father carries his daughter through the crowd after reaching the top of a rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, ahead of sunrise near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016.
Advertisement
Under multicoloured parasols to protect against the burning sun, the mass of people moved through broad streets which were closed to traffic around Mount Arafat. Large number of Muslims attended the Eid prayers and offered specials prayers for the world and unity among Muslims.
From a distance, the hill appeared a snowy white, as male pilgrims wear a seamless two-piece white garment, ihram.
Since arriving in Mecca over the past several weeks, hundreds of thousands have chanted, “Labayk Allahuma Labayk”, or “Here I am, God, answering your call”.
Trucks loaded with bottled water were stationed throughout, and ambulances patrolled the area.
According to officials, a lot of them are from outside Saudi Arabia.
The 2015 crush, in which two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads in Mina, a few kilometres east of Mecca, on their way to performing the “stoning of the devil” ritual at Jamarat, was the worst disaster to strike the annual pilgrimage for at least 25 years.
Following completion of their greatest ritual of standing at Arafat, the pilgrims will start moving to Muzdalifah after the sunset of Dhul Hijja 9, where they will perform Maghrib and Isha prayers shortened and combined, and spend the night there until the dawn break, except for the elderly people, disabled, sick, and children who are allowed to leave Muzdalifah after midnight and head to Mina for stoning the biggest Jamarat.
Authorities announced an investigation into the tragedy but no findings have ever been released.
Among these is the distribution of a bracelet which stores pilgrims’ personal data.
Pilgrims have said they feel safe and have noticed organisational improvements.
Helicopters have been monitoring the flow of pilgrims, while police have been directing them on the ground to make sure there are no bottlenecks. “We are truly at ease here in Arafat”, Youssef al-Mehri, 24, of Oman said with a prayer rug slung over his shoulder.
Saudi officials report that almost 800 pilgrims were crushed to death, but bodies returned to their home countries following the tragedy numbered more than 2,000, including more than 400 from Iran.
Their boss, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, minister of interior and chairman of the hajj committee, was in Mina to help supervise “the services being provided to the pilgrims”, the official Saudi Press Agency said.
Iran says Saudi “incompetence” caused a crush and stampede during last year’s Hajj that killed more than 460 of its citizens.
Saudi Arabia has launched a Farsi-language satellite television channel broadcasting the hajj as Iranians abstain from the pilgrimage amid a dispute between the two regional rivals.
Advertisement
Iran has been banned from this year’s Hajj.
