Key points
- To spend Day of Tarwiyah, marking the beginning of the annual pilgrimage of Hajj
- Tarwiyah phase of the ascent from Mina to Arafat will begin via three modes of transportation: Dr. Al-Qarni
- Mashair train, multi-modal and traditional transportation will provide transport to pilgrims
MINA, Saudi Arabia: Pilgrims started gathering to Mina from their residences in Makkah early on Wednesday, Dhul Hijjah 8, to spend the Day of Tarwiyah, marking the beginning of the annual pilgrimage of Hajj, according to Saudi Gazette.
Following the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), they are reciting talbiyah and glorifying God while heading to the Tent City. Hundreds of thousands of domestic pilgrims join more than 1.47 million foreign pilgrims who came from all over the world to perform Hajj this year, the Saudi Gazette reported.
Dr Mohammed Al-Qarni, director general of Hajj and Umrah at the General Transportation Center of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and the Holy Sites, said that international pilgrims have completed their arrival in Makkah, while domestic pilgrims reached Makkah and performed Tawaf Al-Qudum before heading to Mina tonight in preparation for performing the Hajj rituals.
“The arrival phase of international pilgrims has been completed, with travel between Makkah and Madinah occurring over the past 36 days,” he said.
The Day of Arafat
Dr Al-Qarni said that pilgrims’ movement will begin from 8:00 pm on Tuesday until 10 am on Wednesday. The Tarwiyah phase of the ascent from Mina to Arafat will begin via three modes of transportation. “The Mashair train will carry 316,000 pilgrims, while multi-modal and traditional transportation will transport approximately 720,000 pilgrims. These numbers include their arrival and ascending on Arafat on the morning of Thursday, Dhul Hijjah 9, the Day of Arafat,” he said.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance has completed preparations at Al-Khayf Mosque in Mina to receive pilgrims with spreading prayer rugs on an area covering more than 27,000 square meters as part of an integrated operational and technical service system designed to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for the pilgrims, the Saudi Gazette reported.
Maximising comfort for the pilgrims
This year, Al-Khayf Mosque underwent several major upgrades, including a comprehensive overhaul of its air-conditioning and ventilation systems. The enhancements feature the installation of advanced cooling units connected to smart control systems, as well as monitoring systems that detect carbon dioxide levels and automatically activate fans and cooling devices, thereby improving operational efficiency and maximising comfort for the pilgrims.
Eng. Khaled Al-Tala’a, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, said that the health status of pilgrims is stable. He announced the launch of three field hospitals and the operation of 71 emergency points. Al-Tala’a also noted that the bed capacity has increased by 60 percent compared to the previous year, and that more than 98,000 health services have been provided to date.
