Muslim pilgrims at Arafat mount today
Regional, Religion, 3/15/2000

Some two million Muslims who are performing al-Haj rituals for this year gathered on Tuesday at "Mouna area" in preparation for today's "Arafat mountain stand." The day of standing on the mountain of Arafat is the most remarkable among the al-Haj rituals. Men of religion describes this day as one of the most esteemed of the year's days.

Reports from Mecca indicate that roads leading to Mouna have been crowded with pilgrims who came walking on foot or in cars or coaches.

The caravans which include some 15,000 coaches and thousands of pilgrims proceed slowly and calmly.

The pilgrims protected themselves by umbrellas from the sun's heat which is even relatively low this year.

Police and security forces were deployed and helicopters have been making sorties to ensure the safety of the pilgrims and to avoid the accidents took place in previous al-Haj seasons, including fires.

At Mouna most services are available, including water, telephone lines and anti-fire tents, to accommodate half a million pilgrims.

In the sector of health services, the Saudi authorities increased the capacity of hospitals in Mecca and the holy shrines into 3,000 beds, and this sector was backed by the services of the Saudi Red Crescent which owns 400 ambulances staffed by 900 aid-keepers. This pilgrim season will witness re-implementing the schedule to organize groups of the pilgrims on "al-Jamrat" bridge and their performance of "stone-throwing" to specialized establishments so as to ensure the safety of those pilgrims.

In the area of communications, the Saudi telecommunications establishment has deployed some 16,000 telephone lines and 737 international telecommunications cabins.

Close attention was also given to restrooms and the waste-cleansing department, while specialized companies are designated to serve healthy take-away meals at low prices.

Previous Stories:
  Saudi Arabia invites 500 Thai Muslims to perform pilgrimage   (3/8/2000)
  Medina receives first airplane of pilgrims today   (2/10/2000)
  China to produce first textbooks on Islam   (6/28/1999)

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