Pilgrims perform final Haj rituals

AFP/Makkah

Pilgrims cast seven stones at a pillar that symbolises Satan during the Haj pilgrimage in Mina yesterday

Nearly 3mn pilgrims performed the final rituals of the Haj yesterday as the world’s largest annual gathering drew to a close without major incident. The last rite of the annual Haj proceeded peacefully as pilgrims rushed to throw 21 stones at three pillars that symbolise the devil. In previous years, hundreds of people have been trampled to death in stampedes triggered by crowds trying to get close to the pillars to take their vengeance on the symbol of the devil. To complete the ritual, pilgrims must throw seven pebbles at each of three 25m pillars on the first day of the three-day Eid al-Adha feast marking the end of the Haj, and another seven on each of the last two days. Pilgrims then make their way to Makkah’s Grand Mosque for a “farewell visit” to the Kaaba. Yesterday was the third and final day of the stoning ritual and its completion marks the end of the Haj. The ritual is an emulation of Ibrahim’s stoning of the devil at the three spots where he is said to have appeared trying to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. Saudi authorities have installed a multi-level walkway through the stone-throwing site in a bid to avoid the trampling that caused the deaths of 364 people in 2006, 251 in 2004 and 1,426 in 1990. No major incidents have been reported among the pilgrims, who the Saudi statistics office said numbered 2.93mn this year. The figure includes 1.83mn foreigners. Saudi Arabia has invested billions of dollars over the years to avoid the deadly stampedes that have marred the Haj in the past. The Chinese-built Mashair Railway, also known as the Makkah Metro, operated for the first time this year at its full capacity of 72,000 people per hour to ease congestion. The two-track light railway connects the three holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Mount Arafat. For the first time this year, the Haj was streamed live on video-sharing website YouTube in co-operation with the Saudi government. The stream could be seen at youtube.com/Hajlive. The ministry of religious affairs sent 3.25mn text messages each day to the mobile phones of pilgrims to inform them of correct procedures for the Haj rites so as to “prevent that which is harmful,” ministry official Sheikh Talal al-Uqail told the official SPA news agency.