MAKKAH: Millions from around the world have begun the Hajj pilgrimage rituals, with pilgrims moving towards Mina, the “city of tents,” marking the start of the annual spiritual journey.
According to details, the arrival of pilgrims in Mina will continue throughout the day, while all pilgrims are expected to spend the night there. On Tuesday, 9th Zil Hajj, pilgrims will depart from Mina after Fajr prayers for the most important ritual of Hajj, the Day of Arafah.
At the plains of Arafat, pilgrims will listen to the Hajj sermon and perform combined Zuhr and Asr prayers. After completing the stay in Arafat, they will proceed to Muzdalifah after sunset to continue the next stage of the pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, Saudi meteorological authorities have warned of intense heat during the Hajj days in Makkah and surrounding areas, with temperatures expected to reach up to 47°C. Officials also indicated humidity levels around 40 percent and the possibility of dusty winds in open areas. According to official figures, the number of international pilgrims has exceeded 1.5 million, with a significant number arriving by air. Around 30 percent of pilgrims reached through the Makkah Route Initiative, while modern technology has been used to facilitate their journey.
Authorities have also made special arrangements at holy sites, including shaded areas, cooling fans, and enhanced medical facilities to ensure better comfort and safety for pilgrims during the rituals.
Meanwhile, to avoid the punishing sun, Inas Gamal abandoned her ambitious plan of spending the days ahead of the hajj praying in Makkah’s Grand Mosque and retreated to the comfort of an air-conditioned hotel room to perform her daytime prayers.
Despite travelling all the way from Egypt for the annual pilgrimage, Gamal said it was just too hot to spend much time outside during the day, where temperatures crossed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). “It’s very hot, much hotter than I imagined,” the mother of four, who is performing the hajj for the first time, told AFP. “I can’t adapt,” she added while adjusting her sunglasses to protect her eyes from the harsh glare of the sun.
“I had planned to perform all my prayers at the Grand Mosque, but I couldn’t go down for the prayers held during the day.” Pilgrims perform most of the hajj’s rites outdoors where more than a million devotees gather in stifling conditions, with many attendees succumbing to heatstroke, fainting spells and even cardiac arrest triggered by the heat.
Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology predicted daytime temperatures this week would hover between 42 and 47 degrees Celsius in Makkah during the hajj, which officially begins on Monday. For pilgrims travelling from outside the region, the harsh desert climate can be brutal. “I make sure to drink large amounts of water and beverages rich in salts and minerals, because we sweat constantly and are always on the move,” said Imad Ahmed, visiting from Britain.
To protect worshippers from the extreme heat, authorities rely on one of the most powerful air conditioning systems in the world to cool the Grand Mosque’s courtyards, according to Saudi state television. Other areas have huge fans, mist sprayers and cooled flooring systems to mitigate the searing heat.
