MORE than a million pilgrims joined Islam’s most important rite under a beating sun yesterday, as the annual Haj pilgrimage started in Saudi Arabia.
With temperatures expected to top 40C, robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaaba at the heart of Mecca’s Grand Mosque,
Saudi state media reported that others had begun arriving in Mina on Mecca’s outskirts where they will stay overnight before Haj’s high-point today – prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of Haj.
Saudi authorities have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade.
Pilgrims yesterday performed the tawaf – walking seven times around the Kaaba, which Muslims pray towards each day.
Before entering Mecca, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour. Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality.
Women, in turn, wear loose dresses, also white, exposing just their faces and hands.
Pilgrims arriving on buses had begun already trickling into Mina on Tuesday afternoon, greeted by staff offering them coffee and dates.
“I am so happy, it’s such an amazing feeling,” said Reem Al Shogre, a 35-year-old Saudi performing the pilgrimage for the first time.
Following last year’s lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection.
Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres, thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Minister of Haj and Umrah Tawfiq Al Rabiah said earlier.
Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds.
Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses.
This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts.
Authorities have also asked pilgrims to remain in their tents for several hours during the high point of this week’s pilgrimage.
Minister Al Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10am and 4pm today on the Day of Arafat, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The Day of Arafat traditionally marks the high point of Haj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Mecca.
There, pilgrims assemble on the 70-metre high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Quran recital, staying there until the evening.
There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the harsh desert sun for hours.
“We warn against climbing mountains or high places on the Day of Arafat, as it causes extreme physical exertion and increases the risk of heat exhaustion,” the health ministry said in a separate statement carried by SPA.
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