|
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.
Related
Item:
The
Hajj and Its Impact on Saudi Arabia and the
Muslim World
By David E. Long
|
