Arafat: Millions of Hajj pilgrims from across the globe gathered on the plains of Arafat, on the outskirts of Makkah, on Thursday for the high point of this year’s pilgrimage.
Dressed in white, pilgrims began arriving from Mina on Wednesday night and continued throughout Thursday.
With umbrellas aloft and undeterred by the blistering Makkah heat, exceeding 40 Celsius for most of the afternoon, many pilgrims walked to and climbed the famous Jabal Rahma, a small mountain at the heart of the holy site.
In a ritual known in Arabic as the Wuqoof-e-Arafat, 2 million pilgrims are expected to remain in Arafat until dusk, where they ask for forgiveness from God.
Volunteers offered free refreshments to pilgrims as they passed, and security officials were out in force to facilitate the safety of the pilgrims by using drones and helicopters to spot any potential dangers.
The first train out of Arafat on Thursday evening is expected to be at 18:38.
Muzdalifah will be the next step for pilgrims, where they will spend the night and collect pebbles that they will use for the ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual for the next three days.
