Muslims begin the Hajj pilgrimage

Muslims begin the Hajj pilgrimage

An estimated three million Muslims are beginning the Hajj pilgrimage rituals in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, amid enhanced security.
The authorities say they have implemented new safety measures to prevent stampedes that have killed hundreds of people previously.

In January, almost 400 people were killed and some 300 injured in a stampede during one of the rituals.

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is due to end on Monday.

It is an obligation for all Muslims to undertake the pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime, if they are physically and financially able.

Emotional day

A massive convoy of pilgrims, that will continue well into the evening, is making its way to the nearby tented city of Mina, the pilgrims' home over the next few days.

They are following the route of the first Hajj performed by the Prophet Muhammad some 1400 years ago.

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool says the day has been emotional, with many beginning the pilgrimage in tears.

Before the pilgrims leave Mecca, and when they complete the Hajj, they must walk seven times round the Kaaba (a cube-like building in the centre of the city's Great Mosque) in an anti-clockwise direction.

The Saudi authorities are imposing a strict quota system to try to keep the number of foreign visitors to a manageable level.

At the last Hajj, earlier this year, at least 345 pilgrims died in a crush during the stone-throwing ritual of the pilgrimage.

The stampede took place at the foot of the bridge of Jamarat, in Mina, where pilgrims hurl stones at three pillars representing the spot where the devil is said to have appeared to Abraham, and which creates a dangerous bottleneck.

Since then a major rebuilding project has been undertaken and 50,000 security personnel have been mobilised.

The ritual has seen many lethal stampedes, but the number of dead in January was the highest in 16 years.

BBC NEWS
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