Hajj

A crush at Arafat

The day of Arafat is one of the most important dates of the Muslim calendar, and a crucial part of Hajj. For us, the day began at 12:13am.

We set out from Mina just after midnight, hoping to avoid traffic congestion - most pilgrims only head for Arafat after dawn prayers. All the same, it took us three hours to travel 15km by bus, and many pilgrims had already arrived.

Where heavy rains had drenched so many pilgrims at Mina and led to the deaths of around 50 people in Jeddah, the weather in Arafat was sweltering by midday.

Lines of buses crowded the streets, whilst throngs of people flooded in between the cracks.

In an effort to ease the difficulties many pilgrims face, Saudi authorities have installed drinking fountains offering sterilised water, and sprinklers releasing mist into the air around the area of Mount Arafat.

Mina: The journey has begun

Mina, we have arrived! Hitting the road out of Mecca just before dawn was the plan, but organising a group big enough to fill a bus is not always the most efficient process, and we left several hours later than anticipated.

Despite an estimated 2.5 million people performing Hajj, we encountered rather light road traffic on the way.

Saudi Arabia has recently banned travelling to Mina by car, in an effort to prevent excessive road congestion. So for the Hujjaj (pilgrims), they must either get here by foot, or fill a group bus.

Eight kilometres, and less than an hour later, we were greeted by the sight of the sprawling tent city of Mina. Row upon row of white tents, punctuated by pockets of white-clad pilgrims.

Most Hajj pilgrims will have arrived in the country via Jeddah, and at least visited Mecca, but Mina (number 2 on the below map) is when and where it all kicks off. Its a steep, uphill climb from here, figuratively speaking.