The faithful prayed on Mount Arafat during the highest point of Haj on Thursday, since the authorities urged them to avoid the hottest hours of the day after last year’s tragedy.
Thousands of white tunic pilgrims recited verses of the Sacred Koran of Dawn in the rock ascent of 70 meters near Makkah, where the holy prophet (La Paz is with him) gave his last sermon.
But the numbers advanced at noon after official warnings so that the pilgrims remain within 10 am and 4 pm, one year after 1,301 people died at temperatures that reached 51.8 degrees Celsius.
“I came here early to [avoid] The sun and later I will pray inside my store, ”said Adel Ismail, 54, from Syria.
The Saudi authorities have taken several measures to reduce the risk of heat in Haj, which has attracted more than 1.6 million pilgrims to one of the most popular regions in the world, according to the new figures published on Thursday.
The shaded areas have been extended in 50,000 square meters, thousands of doctors are waiting and more than 400 cooling units have been deployed, said Haj Minister. AFP last week.
The Saudites have also taken energetic measures against unpaid pilgrims, which lack access to full amenities and represent more than 80 percent of last year’s deaths.
On Thursday, the ice sheets were delivered to the people who walked to Mount Arafat, and some placed the small bags in their heads. With temperatures that reach the 42 ° C, the officials moved away the people if they spent too much time in a place near the Bouldered hill, which had fans spraying fog and cold air at their foot.
‘I don’t think about the sun’
Arrived on Thursday afternoon, the pilgrims began arriving in Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the extensive city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles for the symbolic “Stoning of the Devil” on Friday.
Despite the heat, they were usually delighted to perform the HAJ.
“I don’t think about the sun or temperature or anything like that,” said Ahmed, a 44 -year -old man from Egypt. “Because standing in Arafat is a big thing and a beautiful day, and as you can see, all pilgrims” are doing it.
Ali, 33, from Pakistan, said he felt “blessed” to participate.
“This is something that used to see every year on the TV screen during Haj and I always thought: ‘I hope I could be here,” he said.
Through the tears of joy, Iman Abdel Khaleq said he had wanted to perform the Haj for 10 years and was overwhelmed by emotion when he arrived in Arafat.
“It is a great dream for me that I have almost hoped to realize,” said the Egyptian woman in her 50 AFP From the foot of the mountain.
High Technology Haj
Saudi officials said that the heat mitigation measures implemented this HAJ had succeeded in the prevention of last year repetition.
“We are finding a limited number of cases of heat-related diseases this year and this is evidence of the effectiveness of all measures of the organization, as well as preventive measures,” said Mohammed al-Abd al-Aali, assistant to the Minister of Health of Saudi Arabia.
Together with the antialo measures and thousands of additional personnel, Saudi Arabia is also using an arsenal of high -tech tools to help better the crowds.
More than 15,000 cameras that are made through artificial intelligence software are monitoring the sacred sites and catwalks during an event that has a history of mortal prints.
This year, officials have also tightly clenched on unregistered pilgrims seeking to sneak into Makkah, using raids, drone surveillance and a flood of text alerts.
On Thursday afternoon, a source from the Ministry of Haj said the movements had helped avoid overcrowding in sacred sites so far.
Haj’s permits are assigned to countries on a quota and distributed to people by a lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, steep costs make many try Haj without permission, even though they run the risk of arrest and deportation if they catch.
Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year of Haj and Umrah.
