Hajj begins, pilgrims trek to Mina

Total number of pilgrims is estimated to be 2.5 million this year.

MAKKAH: Hajj, the world's largest annual pilgrimage, began on Sunday with devoted Muslims pouring into Mina from Makkah in their hundreds of thousands.

This year, the total number of pilgrims is estimated to be 2.5 million. Many people took buses but some set off on foot overnight, heading towards the vast plain of Mina, a small settlement about five kilometres east of Makkah which comes to life for just five days a year.

Authorities say visas have been granted to 1.7 million foreign pilgrims, with a further 200,000 or so issued to pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia and from neighbouring Gulf states.

This year has seen a crackdown on pilgrims without proper papers as authorities attempt to prevent numbers getting out of hand.

A driver caught transporting unauthorised pilgrims faces a fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals for each individual. Vehicles with a capacity below 25 passengers have also been banned from entering Hajj sites to streamline the flow of buses transporting pilgrims. No major incidents have been reported this year since the pilgrims began gathering in Makkah.

The movement of pilgrims between the holy sites is a major worry for Saudi authorities.

In recent years, the kingdom has used its huge oil revenues for massive spending on new infrastructure to ease the flow of people.

This year, the first phase of the new Mashair Railway – or Makkah metro – will transport pilgrims between Mina and Mount Arafat through Muzdalifah. The Jamarat Bridge, where pilgrims perform the ritual stoning, has also been expanded to five levels with movement channelled in one direction.

Security remains a concern. Last Wednesday, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said he could not rule out the possibility of a sabotage attempt by al Qaeda.

Saudi King Abdullah on Saturday appointed Prince Nayef, his second deputy prime minister, to replace him in overseeing the Hajj because of certain health issues.

Published  in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2010.