Mina tent city hosts over 2.5 million Hajj pilgrims
MINA (92 News) - More than 2.5 million pilgrims gathered in the tent city of Mina, the biggest-ever tent population in the world, as Hajj 2019 began on Friday.
Hajjis were seen busy in their main religious obligation at Mina.
From Mina, the pilgrims will head to Mount Arafat early on Saturday, an area about 20 km east of Makkah. There, the pilgrims will stand shoulder to shoulder for an emotional day of repentance and supplication at the site where Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon, calling for equality and unity among Muslims.
“All arms of the state have been deployed (and) we are proud to serve as ‘God’s hosts’,” said security forces spokesman Bassam Attia.
“More than 1.8 million visas were delivered online without the need for middlemen. It’s a success,” said Hajj Ministry official Hatim bin Hassan Qadi.
As the lights of Mina came alive and the pilgrims began to settle in for the night, Arab News caught up with some of them to discuss their feelings about how their first day of Hajj went.
