Pilgrims urged to stay in tents on Arafat Day
The 'Day of Arafat' traditionally marks the high point of the hajj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Makkah. There, pilgrims assemble on the 70-m-high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Quran recital, staying there until the evening. There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the harsh desert sun for hours.
'We warn against climbing mountains or high places on the Day of Arafat, as it causes extreme physical exertion and increases the risk of heat exhaustion,' the health ministry said in a separate statement published by Saudi media. Temperatures this year are forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, gets underway on Wednesday.
Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius. This year, authorities have mobilized more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024.
Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 sq m, thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the hajj minister told AFP last week. As of Sunday, more than 1.4 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, officials said.
The Mina Emergency Hospital is one of 15 facilities operating just a few weeks a year around the annual pilgrimage. Abdullah Asiri, Saudi Arabia's deputy minister for population health, told AFP at the Mina hospital that 'the focus is on heat-related conditions because the hajj coincides with extreme heat'. Brimming with staff but no patients just yet, the hospital is part of the kingdom's efforts to prepare for 'the worst-case scenario' after pilgrims descend on Mina, Asiri said.
Mecca's Grand Mosque is serviced by the largest cooling system in the world, according to Saudi state television, with enormous fans and cooled pavements dotting the massive complex. But outside, hiding from the heat can prove challenging. Some pilgrims wear caps or carry umbrellas, but others walk on foot without any protection from the sun, like Palestinian Rabah Mansour, 70, who said that after a lifetime of working outside as a farmer, 'heat doesn't bother me'. 'I have been working in the fields since I was a child,' he said, as sweat trickled down his face.
While many pilgrims may be overcome with religious fervor, Asiri warned devotees against unnecessarily exposing themselves to harsh conditions. Badr Shreiteh, another Palestinian pilgrim, told AFP that he believed such hardships on the hajj trail would increase the blessings he reaps. 'As you can see, we're dripping with sweat,' he said, adding: 'The more hardship we endure, the more reward we gain.'
According to Asiri, of the health ministry, a total of 50,000 healthcare workers and administrative staff have been mobilized for the hajj, far exceeding previous years' numbers. More than 700 hospital beds are ready, equipped with fans to treat severe cases of heat illnesses. 'Capacity this year has been expanded by more than 60 percent compared to last year,' Asiri said, expecting greater numbers of patients. 'That's why we are doing all of these measures,' he said.
To prevent people from needing hospitalization in the first place, 71 emergency medical points have been set up around Makkah's holy sites with a focus on 'treating patients on the ground before their case deteriorates', said Asiri. On the second day of hajj, pilgrims will head to Mount Arafat.
Asiri said pilgrims can stay in the shade. 'Most of the heat-related illnesses that happen in Arafat is because people think that they must be under the sun,' he said. 'You don't have to be outside your tent during Arafat. You don't have to climb the mountain,' he added, citing no religious obligation to do so, 'and it's very risky from a health point of view'. Authorities have built cooled walkways, including a newly completed four-kilometer pathway leading to Arafat.
Abdul Majid Ati, from the Philippines, said there is 'extreme heat, but there are also times that we are inside the (Grand mosque) – it's extreme cold because of the tiles and of the aircon'. 'We take this as a challenge and a test of our moral character.' – AFP
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