Hajj Draws to a Close

Pilgrims Bid Farewell to Makkah
Siraj Wahab, Arab News

MAKKAH, 24 January 2005 — Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims bade Makkah farewell yesterday as this year’s Haj ended without major incidents despite an unusual heavy downpour in the holy sites on Saturday.

Pilgrims put on a brave front despite the havoc caused by torrential rains that caused many pilgrims to take up to seven hours to travel the 5-km distance from Mina to Makkah. They were cheerful and upbeat as they finished the Haj rituals. The pilgrims who were stuck in Mina on Saturday because of the rains that flooded the streets, performed the stoning of the devil yesterday before embarking on their journey home via Makkah.

Most of the pilgrims, who found their vehicles stranded in the flooded streets, preferred to walk the distance but were forced to maneuver their way through the debris and trash that had piled along the way.

Having accomplished all Haj rituals, the pilgrims began the “tawaf” or circling of the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque. The pilgrims, back in their normal attire after performing Haj rituals dressed in two-piece seamless white cloths, walked around the Kaaba seven times anti-clockwise either in the courtyard of the sacred edifice or on the two huge circular terraces of the Grand Mosque.

Some of the 2.56 million faithful, more than 1.5 million of whom came from abroad, left Makkah yesterday and others will follow over the next few days.

Before leaving, they were rushing to shops to buy gifts and souvenirs to take back home, with prayer beads topping their shopping list.

The local press said three pilgrims were killed on Saturday during scrambles to stone the devil in the Mina valley near Makkah, but there were no tragedies of the scale of the stampede which claimed 251 lives during last year’s ritual. Al-Riyadh and Okaz newspapers said 500 people were injured in the 
stampede at the Jamrat on Saturday.

While Saudi authorities mounted a huge operation to ensure security and prevent accidents, they were caught unawares by torrential rains which lashed the Makkah region on Saturday afternoon.

Pilgrim camps in Mina and Makkah streets were flooded and the downpour caused huge traffic jams.

The Saudi press said two pilgrims died and 196 suffered fractures when they fell down because of the rain.

“Rain is certainly a blessing from God but the authorities are clearly not prepared for it,” said Mohammad Badruddoja, a Bangladesh-born American pilgrim.

“It took us four and a half hours, instead of the normal 15 minutes, to cross Makkah,” said the 67-year-old surgeon.

Ceal Meah, who leads a 150-member group of Mauritian pilgrims, said it was a hard experience but “we all took it in a spirit of sacrifice and in the firm conviction that whatever happens, happens for the good. He said they left Mina at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday amid heavy downpour after completing the stoning ritual. “We were able to reach our vehicle. Thankfully we were also able to leave Mina jurisdiction but soon found ourselves in the middle of floodwaters and we were moving literally one meter every one hour. As group leader Meah instructed his fellow pilgrims to proceed on foot. Alhamdullilah, we reached Makkah by 11 p.m.” He said that he met several people on the way who showed no sign of loss of hope.

He said the police and security forces deserved a lot of praise for their help in doing everything they could to alleviate people’s suffering.

Throughout Saturday night and yesterday pilgrims of different nationalities were checking upon pilgrims from their home states or their friends to inquire about their well being. Mustafa Ahmed from Egypt and a group of Indonesian pilgrims were desperately looking around a particular building because there was 
no word of their relatives a full 12 hours after the rains.

Mustafa said, “We are worried that our relatives have not returned from Mina and we have no word about their whereabouts. My cell phone got damaged in the rain and I think theirs had the same fate because I failed to get in touch with them. Getting into a call cabin is testing on our nerves; these cabins are 
full of people desperately trying to get in touch with their folks. To make matters worse call cabin operators allow only international calls because there is more money to be made out of such calls.

Hospitals in Makkah are packed with pilgrims with cuts, bruises and fractures and in many cases suffering from pneumonia. “Because of the rains we could not transfer patients to other hospitals in Makkah,” said one doctor at Jiyad Hospital close to the Grand Mosque. He said the hospital was bursting 
at the seams; it has 150 beds but pilgrims with all kinds of complaints were flooding in.

Visiting an area in Al-Haj near Muzdalifa, Arab News saw parts of sidewalks completely washed away. Mazen Al-Gosaibi was frustrated beyond words for his car had turned upside down in the flooded area and there was no one to help him out. Mazen, from Riyadh, said he was calling all emergency numbers “but I haven’t had any luck so far. Tow trucks were not available as they were busy clearing the Mina-Makkah road.

Another Saudi, Abu Ali, was perched on top of his car which was almost totally submerged in floodwaters. His front windshield was totally smashed after a falling boulder hit the car. “I managed to get out of the car and am sitting here still 12 hours after the rain had stopped.”

Mina was completely deserted yesterday after being the center of Haj activities since last Tuesday.

Originally published in Arab News, January 27, 2005. Reprinted with permission.

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