{"id":3052,"date":"2013-10-08T06:57:45","date_gmt":"2013-10-08T06:57:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wp3\/?p=3052"},"modified":"2013-10-08T06:57:45","modified_gmt":"2013-10-08T06:57:45","slug":"two-million-pilgrims-reach-makkah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/10\/08\/3052\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Million Pilgrims Reach Makkah"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sea of white-robed two million pilgrims from all around the globe has arrived at the holy city of Makkah, chanting “Labbaik Allahhuma Labbaik” (O God, here I am answering your call), to perform the life-time spiritual pilgrimage.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“You’ve got to be patient. Insha Allah, everything will be fine, don’t worry,” a staff of the Ministry of Culture and Information, known only as Hamdan, told thousands of pilgrims at the hajj terminal in Jeddah airport, Bernama reported on Monday, October 7.<\/span>
Hamdan was one of the Saudi officials who spread at the Hajj Terminal to assist visiting journalists to observe the annual hajj this month.<\/span>
Like Hamdan, most of the Saudi officials at the terminal were very apologetic for the long waiting time before the pilgrims could resume their journey.<\/span>
He reflected a portion of great efforts exerted by Saudi authorities to upgrade facilities and services for the pilgrims’ ease and comfort, some may still encounter delays.<\/span>
The Haj Terminal, estimated to be at least five million square feet (465,000 square meters) is known for its tent-shaped fiberglass roof.<\/span>
In a bid to make waiting easier for pilgrims, the terminal has a mosque, and it can accommodate 80,000 travelers at one time.<\/span>
The customs and immigration halls are air-conditioned with lots of facilities for “Wudhu”, drinking water and toilets.<\/span>
Last June, Saudi Arabia announced its plan to restrict the number of pilgrims for this year\u2019s hajj over ongoing expansions at the holy sites in Makkah.<\/span>
Saudi authorities said they will reduce the numbers of pilgrims coming from within the kingdom by half.<\/span>
The numbers of overseas pilgrims will be reduced by 20 percent.<\/span>
In the meantime, a temporary “mataf” bridge has been installed to increase the capacity for those wishing to perform the “tawaf” (circumambulation of the holy Ka’aba).<\/span>
The mataf area will increase the tawaf capacity to 35,000 worshippers an hour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Security Cameras<\/strong><\/span>
Making final hajj arrangements, Saudi authorities have announced their plan to set up advanced cameras around the holy sites to monitor pilgrim movement and ensure their safety.<\/span>
\u201cWe are using powerful digital cameras for the first time this year,\u201d Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Zahrani, commander of the Command and Control Center for Haj operations, told Arab News on Monday.<\/span>
\u201cThese cameras can monitor events taking place 60 km away. They can also operate under difficult weather conditions,\u201d he said.<\/span>
Al-Zahrani said that the director-general of public security has instructed his department to acquire the latest technology to carry out their mission effectively.<\/span>
\u201cWe have installed about 4,200 cameras in important locations at the holy sites. This number will increase with the expansion of the holy sites,\u201d the general added.<\/span>
Muslims from around the world pour into Makkah every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.<\/span>
Hajj consists of several ceremonies, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.<\/span>
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime.<\/span>
At dawn on Monday, October 14, the faithful will begin moving towards Mount `Arafat, about 15 km east of Makkah, for the climax of hajj.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:<\/span> OnIslam<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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A sea of white-robed two million pilgrims from all around the globe has arrived at the holy city of Makkah, chanting “Labbaik Allahhuma Labbaik” (O God, here I am answering your call), to perform the life-time spiritual pilgrimage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Million Pilgrims Reach Makkah - SunniOnline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2013\/10\/08\/3052\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two Million Pilgrims Reach Makkah - 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