Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], June 28: Around 2 million Muslims packed Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, as they took part in the first Hajj pilgrimage without restrictions since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
So far, more than 1.8 million pilgrims from all over the world have already amassed in and around Makkah for the Hajj, and the number was still growing as more pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia joined, said a spokesman for the Saudi Hajj Ministry, Ayedh al Ghweinim.
Authorities say they expect this year to approach pre-COVID-19 levels of more than two million.Mount Arafat, located around 20kmeast of the holy city of Makkah, marks the climax of the annual pilgrimage.
The pilgrims spend the day in worship, praying and reciting the Holy Koran until sunset, then they would head to the nearby area of Muzdalifah to stay overnight. At least 40 people needed help after suffering heat exhaustion on Tuesday, according to Health Minister Fahad Al Jalajel, who told the official Al Ekhbariyah television station that temperatures reached 48 degrees Celsius.
Health officials urged pilgrims to use umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching sun. They also said no epidemic diseases were recorded so far.
Saudi Arabia, Islam's birthplace, stakes its credibility on providing services to help pilgrims perform the gruelling rituals as comfortably and smoothly as possible.
While thousands of security personnel have been deployed around holy sites, drones are also being used to monitor traffic. The Hajj this year is back to its pre-pandemic levels when nearly 2.5 million people gathered in Makkah.
The pandemic forced a downsizing of the Hajj for three consecutive years, with only a few thousand residents in the kingdom taking part under strict social distancing measures in 2020.
There were some 60,000 pilgrims in 2021 and the number rose to 1 million last year.
The Hajj began on Monday and is expected to end on Friday. Wednesday marks the start of the Muslim Eid Al Adha festival in Saudi Arabia and many other countries.
Egyptian businessman Yehya Al Ghanam said he was at a loss for words to describe his feelings upon arriving at Mina, one of the biggest tent camps in the world outside Mecca, where pilgrims will stay for much of the Hajj.
"Tears will fall from my eyes out of joy and happiness," he said, overwhelmed by the emotions surrounding his pilgrimage. "I do not sleep. I have not slept for 15 days, only an hour a day." For pilgrims, it is a deeply moving spiritual experience that absolves sins, brings them closer to God and unites the world's more than 1.8 billion Muslims. Some spend years saving money and waiting for a permit to embark on the journey.
The rituals during the Hajj largely commemorate the Koran's accounts of Abrahim, his son Ishmael and Ishmael's mother Hajar.
Pilgrims have been doing the ritual circuit around the Kaaba since arriving in Makkah over recent days. As the last ones performed it on Monday, the pilgrims made their way by foot or by bus to Mina.
In Mina, soldiers sprayed pilgrims with water to cool them down in the heat of the desert plain, where there is little respite from the blazing sun. The faithful set up in their tents, resting in the rows of cubicles and praying together to prepare for the coming rituals.
The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do it.
Source: Qatar Tribune