Faithful stone the devil in Jamarat

Top Stories

Faithful stone the devil in Jamarat

Jamarat - Under close supervision from Saudi authorities, the faithful carried umbrellas to block the blazing sun, with daytime temperatures topping 40ºC.

By Reuters

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Tue 21 Aug 2018, 10:38 PM

Last updated: Wed 22 Aug 2018, 12:42 AM

More than two million Haj pilgrims hurled pebbles at a giant wall in a symbolic stoning of the devil on Tuesday, the start of the riskiest part of the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia where hundreds died in a crush three years ago.
Clad in white robes signifying a state of purity, men and women from 165 countries converged on Jamarat to perform the ritual from a three-storey bridge erected to ease congestion after earlier stampedes.
Under close supervision from Saudi authorities, the faithful carried umbrellas to block the blazing sun, with daytime temperatures topping 40ºC.
The kingdom has deployed more than 130,000 security forces and medics as well as modern technology including surveillance drones to maintain order.
"The police assistance and the services were all extraordinary. Praise God, I am very happy and God willing our Lord will provide for us again," said Jordanian Firas Al Khashani, 33.
Pilgrims are asked to follow carefully orchestrated schedules for performing each stage of Haj, but with more than two million participants, panic is a constant danger.
Some 86,000 Iranians are attending this year amid a diplomatic rift between Tehran and Riyadh.
More than 2.37 million pilgrims, most of them from abroad, have arrived this year for the five-day ritual, a religious duty once in a lifetime for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the journey.
"It is a beautiful feeling," said Egyptian Hazem Darweesk, 31. "The beauty of it is in the difficulty of performing it. It brings you closer to God."
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, arrived in Mina on Monday evening ahead of Eid Al Adha.
"Our country's greatest honour is to serve God's guests," the 82-year-old monarch tweeted. "On Eid Al Adha, I ask God to complete the pilgrims' Haj and to perpetuate the goodness and peace for our nation and all other countries."
King Salman and his son and heir apparent Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received well-wishers at a palace in Mina on Tuesday.
Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to set aside politics during the Haj but violence in the Middle East, including wars in Syria, Yemen and Libya - and other global hotspots - remain on the minds of many.
Some worshippers criticised Arab leaders for failing to block President Donald Trump's decision to move the US Embassy to Occupied Jerusalem after he recognised the city as Israel's capital.


More news from