1,000 pilgrims arrive in Mina for first day of Hajj
\nTLTP
\nJEDDAH
\nAbout 1,000 pilgrims converge on the Mina Valley outside Makkah on Wednesday to begin their spiritual journey of a lifetime.
\nThe Day of Tarwiyah (fetching water) marks the beginning of Hajj. There are no major rituals, so the pilgrims will spend their time praying and reflecting until sunrise on Thursday.
\nMina, 7 km northeast of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and within its boundaries, would normally be the site of the world\u2019s largest tent city, accommodating about 2.5 million pilgrims.
\nHowever, Hajj participation is restricted this year to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, and the pilgrims are all Saudis or expatriates who live in the Kingdom.
\nThose selected to take part in this year\u2019s Hajj were subject to temperature checks and placed in quarantine as they began arriving in Makkah, and health workers sanitized their luggage.
\nHealth and safety staff with disinfectant cleaned the area around the Kaaba, the structure at the center of the Grand Mosque draped in gold-embroidered cloth toward which Muslims around the world pray.
\nHajj authorities have cordoned the Kaaba this year, and pilgrims will not be allowed to touch it, to limit the chances of infection. They have also set up dedicated health centers, mobile clinics and ambulances to care for the pilgrims, who will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing.
\nAll pilgrims were required to be tested for coronavirus before they arrived in Makkah, and they will be quarantined after the pilgrimage.
\nThey were given amenity kits that include sterilized pebbles for the Jamarat stoning ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug and the ihram, the seamless white garment worn by pilgrims.
\n\u201cThere are no security-related concerns in this pilgrimage, but it is to protect pilgrims from the danger of the pandemic,\u201d said Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi, Saudi Arabia\u2019s director of public security.
\nOn Thursday the pilgrims will travel to Arafat to listen to the sermon, the pinnacle of Hajj. They then go to Muzdalifah and stay overnight, before returning to Mina for the Jamarat ritual.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1,000 pilgrims arrive in Mina for first day of Hajj TLTP JEDDAH About 1,000 pilgrims converge on the Mina Valley outside Makkah on Wednesday to begin their spiritual journey of a lifetime. The Day of Tarwiyah (fetching water) marks the beginning of Hajj. There are no major rituals, so the pilgrims will spend their time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n