Hajj 2023: Millions of pilgrims in Makkah commence journey to Mina ahead of Arafat

After weeks of waiting, over two million pilgrims in Makkah have commenced the journey to Mina, marking the official take off of the Hajj rites.

The pilgrims, dressed in the white two-piece garment—a loin cloth and a shawl (Ihram), will be camped at the Mina Valley which is 8.8 km outside the city of Makkah.

The pilgrims will be staying at Mina in their state of Ihram, and on Tuesday, they will be proceeding to Mount Arafat and subsequently move to Muzadalifah where they will be spending the night in the open.

Other activities the pilgrims will be performing around Mina include the slaughtering of the sacrificial lamb, the stoning of the devil and the cutting of hair.

They will be staying in tents in Mina. According to officials, the tents are grouped based on countries and Nigeria is expected to divide its tents on state by state basis.

FIRS

Pilgrims embarking on the journey to Mina

Pilgrims embarking on the journey to Mina [PHOTO CREDIT: Bakare Majeed]

After the activities in Mina, the pilgrims will return to Makkah where they will conclude other activities.

Logistics in moving pilgrims

The 2023 hajj is the largest since the COVID-19 scourge and the first without restrictions. Last year, about 900,000 participated in the Hajj.

According to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over 95,000 pilgrims and officials from Nigeria are also participating in the 2023 hajj, a figure that the commission has not handled in the past four years.

As early as 5:30 a.m. (Saudi Arabia time), different states’ boards commenced the movement of the pilgrims to Mina.

Alhussein Maiweda, one of the officials of Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, told Real Africa that the Saudi authorities are in charge of the movement of the pilgrims, while they ensure coordination along the guidelines.

To convey the millions of pilgrims, Saudi authorities have deployed thousands of single-deck buses to move the pilgrims in line with the new guidelines.

Distribution of pilgrims

Kaduna State has the highest number of pilgrims from Nigeria with 6,255 followed by Kano State with 6,144 while Sokoto and Kebbi states have 5,197 and 4,149 pilgrims respectively.

Ekiti, Imo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi have a total of 751 pilgrims.