Today, Saturday, the first day of the blessed Eid al-Adha (the Day of Sacrifice), the pilgrims continue to perform the rituals, foremost of which are performing the Tawaf al-Ifadah and throwing the first Jamrah al-Aqabah in Mina.
The pilgrims had spent the night in the hills of Muzdalifah after they departed from Arafat, where they performed the greatest pillar of the pilgrimage, in a spectacle of faith filled with reverence and serenity.
The pilgrims begin their rituals on the Day of Sacrifice - which is the day of Eid al-Adha - by throwing the Great Jamarat of Aqaba, then shaving or shortening, then they sacrifice the sacrificial animal, and they go to the Sacred House to perform the Tawaf al-Ifadah, and then return to Mina to spend the night there for the rest of the days of Tashreeq.
Mashaar Mina is located between Mecca and Muzdalifah, 7 kilometers northeast of the Grand Mosque, within the boundaries of the Haram. It is a valley surrounded by mountains on the northern and southern sides. It is only inhabited during the Hajj period. Muzdalifah.
Pilgrims spend in Mina the three days of Tashreeq (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) to stone the three Jamarat, beginning with Jamarat al-Sughra, then al-Wusta, and then Jamarat al-Aqaba (the Great).
Those who are in a hurry can shorten the rituals to two days, provided that they leave Mina before sunset on the second day of Eid al-Adha, and head to Mecca to perform the farewell circumambulation, which is the last rites of Hajj.
Pilgrims throwing pebbles at first Aqaba (Reuters)
Extraordinary measures
This year's pilgrimage was distinguished by exceptional health measures in light of the arrival of pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia for the first time since the Corona pandemic, as health and medical teams spread everywhere inside Mecca and the holy sites.
The Saudi Press Agency "SPA" stated that the movement of pilgrims was smooth, amid efforts made by the various authorities concerned with Hajj affairs in order to serve the pilgrims to perform their rituals in peace and security.
On roads teeming with pilgrims, volunteers handed out water bottles and others collected rubbish in green plastic bags.
"Together, we will promote cleaner, cleaner parts of the world," wrote a large trash can.
And the General Authority for Statistics announced yesterday, Friday, that the total number of pilgrims for this year amounted to 899,353 pilgrims, of whom 779,919 came from outside the Kingdom.
Among the total number of pilgrims, the number of women reached 412,895.
The percentage of pilgrims coming from Arab countries was 21.4%, and the percentage of pilgrims from Asian countries was 53.8%, and African countries was 13.2%, while the percentage of pilgrims from Europe, America and Australia was 11.6%.
In 2019, about 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world participated in the rituals.
However, the outbreak of the Corona virus forced the Saudi authorities to reduce the numbers significantly, as only 60,000 citizens and residents participated in it in 2021, compared to a few thousand in 2020.