Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — Most of the Hajj pilgrims vacated the tent city of Mina before sunset on Sunday, the second day of Tashreeq, after performing the ritual of casting stones at three Jamarat, pillars symbolizing Satan. The pilgrims, who are in a rush, are allowed to leave Mina for Makkah before sunset on the second Tashreeq day or else they will have to stay an extra day in Mina and have to pebble the devil. The pilgrims, who will stay back in Mina on Sunday night, will leave the tent city after completing the stoning ritual on Monday afternoon.

After performing the stoning ritual, pilgrims, who are in a hurry, swiftly proceeded to the Grand Mosque in Makkah to perform Tawaf Al-Wida (Farewell circumambulation around the Holy Kaaba), the last obligatory ritual of Hajj. The Grand Mosque received several batches of pilgrims, who arrived from Mina to perform the Tawaf Al-Wida, before heading to visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah or to their home. The pilgrims were seen in a spiritually elevated and euphoric mood after completing their lifetime spiritual journey.

The authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the departure of pilgrims from Mina as per a two-day schedule prepared by them so as to avoid any congestion at the Jamarat Bridge as well as to ensure their smooth movement to the Grand Mosque to perform the Tawaf Al-Wida. Although Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, concludes officially on Monday, the third day of Tashreeq, pilgrims are allowed to leave a day earlier.

Pilgrims opting for early departure performed the Farewell Tawaf amid a heavy flow of worshipers at the Grand Mosque.

The relevant authorities have mobilized all their capabilities to facilitate the movement of early departure pilgrims, ensuring a smooth flow within the Grand Mosque.

The Hajj Security Forces at the Grand Mosque confirmed their full readiness to receive pilgrims for the Farewell Tawaf. This is part of a comprehensive security and organizational plan designed to ensure that pilgrims can perform their rituals in ease and comfort, within an atmosphere of faith, security, and safety.

Support services include 400 electric carts, over 10,000 wheelchairs, and 210 smart gates to regulate entry and exit. These efforts reflect the implementation of the Saudi leadership's directives to provide the highest quality services to pilgrims and to facilitate the performance of their rituals in an atmosphere of security, comfort, and tranquility.

The plan includes establishing organized mechanisms for entry and exit to and from the Grand Mosque, as well as allocating designated routes to regulate crowd movement in the courtyards surrounding the mosque and the passageways leading to mataf, ensuring the security and safety of pilgrims.

The Monitoring and Control Center at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Mina was closely tracking the movement of pilgrims on the second day of Tashreeq as part of the ongoing operations to ensure smooth crowd flow and the safety of pilgrims across all movement routes. The center relied on an advanced technological infrastructure that enables real-time monitoring of crowd density indicators and data analysis. This allowed for immediate decision-making and enhances rapid response to any emergency, thereby improving the flexibility and smoothness of pilgrim movement.

The center operates based on a unified operational model that integrates all Hajj-related systems, covering group movement, transportation, aviation, and even entry data from various border points. This integration provides a comprehensive view of the pilgrim’s journey from arrival to the completion of rituals. It has notably contributed to reducing waiting times at air entry points to under 40 minutes, thanks to integration with flight tracking systems and improved reception preparedness.

Center teams also track the movement of pilgrim buses using smart technologies that generate precise movement maps, aiding in the organization of pilgrim flow and preventing congestion along critical routes, particularly during peak hours.