‘Day of Tarwiyah:’ Over million pilgrims arrive in Mina to begin Hajj

Pilgrims began arriving in Mina on Wednesday morning to spend the Day of Tarwiyah, Dhu Al Hijjah 8, and stay overnight before the Hajj's high-point on Thursday, prayers on Mount Arafat.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Kingdom's government provided extensive security, medical, food, and transportation services to ensure pilgrims' comfort and enable them to perform their rituals with ease and tranquillity.

More than a million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the Hajj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year's deaths in sweltering heat.

Pilgrims arrive in Mina on Wednesday.

With temperatures expected to top 40˚C, robed pilgrims slowly circled the Holy Kaaba — the black cube at the heart of Makkah's Grand Mosque which is Islam's holiest site.

State media reported that others had begun arriving in the sprawling tent city of Mina on Makkah's outskirts where they will stay overnight before the Hajj's high-point on Thursday — prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is believed to have delivered his final sermon.

A Muslim pilgrim prays as others walk at the Kaaba in the Holy City of Makkha on Wednesday. AFP

About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means.

Authorities have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when many pilgrims died as temperatures hit 51.8˚C.

On Wednesday, pilgrims will perform the Tawaf — walking seven times around the Holy Kaaba, which Muslims pray towards each day.

Muslim pilgrims prepare to enter the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. AP

Before entering Makkah, 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.

A worker distributes free Zamzam water to an elderly pilgrim outside the Grand Mosque. AP

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.

Artificial intelligence

Following last year's lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection.

Employees man their terminals at the control room for traffic and crowd management for pilgrims at the General Transport Centre at the Royal Commission for Makkah . AFP

Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Hajj Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah told AFP last week.

Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds.

An Afghan elderly pilgrim on a wheel chair is pushed by her son, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Holy City of Makkah. AP

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.
Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the Hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught.

Agence France-Presse