On the first day of the pilgrimage the millions of devotees that have traveled from far and wide would now make their way from Makkah to Mina, a small village located east of the city. Mina is an enormous tent city.The Saudi government spent billions of riyals in erecting fire proof tents after the hajj was marred by a fire a few years ago causing damage and loss of life. My dads sister was present that year during the hajj and she related to us that when the fire broke out people started running in all directions. During that time she had lost her husband in the crowd. With every passing year, the Saudi government tries its best to provide better, more efficient facilities for the Hujjaaj in order to make the Haj process easier and to facilitate a smooth incident free Hajj process as depicted in the pictures above.
The Hujjaj would spend the entire day and night at Mina engaging in the recitation of the Quraan, praying and basically taking rest before heading off to Arafat tomorrow.
Pictures: courtesy Abu Ammaar
