MEDINA, Saudi Arabia, (Islam Online)-More than half the 1.3 million Muslims from around the globe taking part in this year's annual pilgrimage to Mecca have reached Saudi Arabia.
According to a Saudi immigration source, a total of 753,500 pilgrims had entered the kingdom thus far. And yesterday was the deadline for arrivals by road. The final deadline for arrivals by sea and air is Friday, March 10.
Saudis will account for 800,000 pilgrims and for the first time they too must use official organizations to travel to Mecca. The authorities say the aim is to limit the number of Saudis heading for Mecca and ensure they go only once every five years, like foreigners.
Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, is an obligation that should be performed once in a lifetime by all healthy Muslims who have the financial means. The high point of the Hajj in Mecca falls on March 14 and runs into the feast of the sacrifice, Eid al-Adha, on March 16.
Medina, city of the prophet, as it is admiringly called by Muslims, is overflowing with pilgrims praying at the giant mosque. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was born in Mecca where the Ka’abah is situated, but lived and died in Medina.
The authorities face the major task of ensuring safety for the huge crowds which gather in Mecca, and the surrounds for the culmination of the rituals. A 2.7 billion riyal ($720 million) project launched in 1997 has been completed near Mecca for this year’s Hajj; it includes the installation of 40,000 fire-proof tents, giant water reservoirs to fight fires, cooling systems and sanitation facilities.
Old tents, which caught fire easily, and gas stoves have been banned since a 1997 disaster when 343 pilgrims were killed as a blaze started by a stove swept through a tent camp in Mina, near Mecca.
Pilgrims using the tents will pay between $190 and $400, depending on the proximity to the holy sites. The Health Ministry has set up 14 field hospitals and mobilized 9,000 doctors and nurses while civil defense teams are to deploy along major roads and assembly points.
