Hajj Pilgrims Begin the Rami al-Jamarat in Mina
On Friday, pilgrims performed the last major rite of the Hajj season, which is the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamaraat in Mina, coinciding with the first day of Eid al-Adha for Muslims worldwide.
Since dawn, more than 1.6 million pilgrims have begun throwing seven pebbles at each of the three walls that symbolize the devil in the Mina Valley, located on the outskirts of Mecca.
This rite commemorates the stoning of the devil by Prophet Ibrahim at the three sites where he is believed to have been tempted to disobey God’s command to sacrifice his son.
Wael Ahmed Abdel Qader, a 34-year-old Egyptian pilgrim, described his experience in Mina as “easy and simple,” adding, “In five minutes, we had finished throwing the pebbles.”
Meanwhile, Haukeita, a pilgrim from Guinea, expressed her great joy at celebrating the holiday in Mecca. She said, “When I threw the pebbles, I felt relief. I was very proud of myself.”
On the previous day, the pilgrims stood at Mount Arafat, the most important site of the Hajj, where they prayed and made supplications throughout the day amid high temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius. This prompted Saudi authorities to advise them to stay in tents during the hottest daytime hours.
After sunset, the pilgrims headed to Muzdalifah, situated between Arafat and Mina, to rest and spend the night in preparation for the Day of Sacrifice, which is the day of Eid. They began collecting pebbles for throwing at Jamrat al-Aqaba.
This year’s Hajj season saw a series of measures aimed at reducing the risks of extreme heat exposure, alongside a major campaign to prevent illegal pilgrimages, resulting in a decrease in crowd density, with increased security presence in Mecca and surrounding areas.
This season recorded the lowest number of pilgrims in over three decades, excluding the years during which restrictions were in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022.
Last year, 1.8 million Muslims performed the Hajj, according to official figures.
“This is a sign of the effectiveness of the measures,” said Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aali, assistant to the Saudi Minister of Health, to AFP on Thursday. “We are facing a limited number of heat-related illness cases this year; this indicates the efficacy of all regulatory and preventive measures.”
To make the Hajj smoother and safer, authorities have developed infrastructure, mobilized thousands of additional staff, and relied on advanced technological tools to better manage crowds.
Through these measures, authorities aimed to avoid a repeat of last year’s tragedy when 1,301 pilgrims died as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius.
Saudi authorities reported that most of the fatalities were among illegal pilgrims who entered Mecca without permits, which deprived them of housing and services provided by the Kingdom to protect pilgrims from extreme heat.
Hajj permits are granted to countries according to a quota system and distributed to individuals through a lottery.
However, even those who receive permits may find the high cost of the pilgrimage a motivator to attempt to perform the rites without permission, despite the legal risks that include arrest and deportation.
The Jamaraat area in Mina previously witnessed a tragic incident in 2015 when a stampede resulted in the deaths of more than 2,300 people, marking the worst disaster in the recent history of Hajj.
The rituals of Hajj and Umrah are a major source of economic revenue in Saudi Arabia, generating billions of dollars annually. The King of Saudi Arabia holds the title of “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.”
