Pilgrims stoning rite enters Second Day

Mina, Saudi Arabia, December 10 , SPA -- Pilgrims began throwing
pebbles at the three Jamarat, as part of Hajj rituals today, which is
the Second day of "Tashreeq Days" (the 12th day of Dul Hijjah). The
stoning rite was carried under Allah Al-mighty's graces and
blessings.

The pilgrims stoning rite involved throwing pebbles first at the
"Small Jamarat", then at the "Medium Jamarat" and finally at the "Big
Jamarat".


Huge masses of pilgrims poured in today at the "Jamarat Bridge" and
managed to perform the stoning rite in comfort and in a record time
by Allah Almighty's graces and blessings. This has been accomplished
due to the new mechanism and system of organization of the Jamarat
region and the works undertaken to bring about vast and well-defined
development witnessed by the Jamarat Bridge and the important
decision of preventing sleeping or sitting on the pedestrian foot
paths and by-lanes in the region of Jamarat during this year's Hajj.


Consequently, all these factors contributed to a smooth and an easy
movement of pilgrims despite their huge numbers while they are on
their way to the stoning rite sites.

The civil and security forces deployed by the Government of the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al
Saud have exerted tremendous efforts to serve the guests of Allah
Almighty.

After the stoning rite, the pilgims who are in hurry will return
back to the Holy Mosque of Makkah to perform the "Good-Bye
Circumambulation" around the "Kaaba".


The pilgrims who wish to wait till the 13th day of the of Dul Hijjah
for the sacred Mina rite, will repeat the same stoning process at the
three Jamarat in succession.

They, then, return back to the Holy Mosque of Makkah to perform the
"Good-Bye Circumambulation" around the "Kaaba", before leaving for
their native countries, thanking Allah Almighty and praying for the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al
Saud, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and
Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Naif
bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Interior and all civil and
security forces who are engaged in this year's Hajj for the great
services and efforts they provided to them.


It is noticed that the new "Jamarat Bridge" with its unique
engineering design is able to accommodate huge crowds of pilgrims who
flocked there to throw pebbles at the three Jamarat in succession
easily and in comfort -- thanks to the blessings of Allah Almighty
and the successful implementation of the plan of the pilgrims'
movement at its site.


There, the process of movement towards the bridge was adopted by the
security forces under well-defined and specified ways and paths that
have been separately reserved, namely one route used only for going
to the Jamarat and another route for return of the pilgrims after
performing their stoning rite. The entire movement of the pilgrims to
the Jamarat and their return back to their camps in the plains of
Mina has been directly supervised by security personnel in
coordination with the Tawafa Organizations to adhere to the set
timetables for the movement of the pilgrims' groups.

Correspondents of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), spotted, in a
survey tour in the Jamarat region, the masses of public security
forces, interior security forces, the National Guard, traffic
personnel's, Scout cadets, civil defense personnel's and other
agencies concerned of serving the pilgrims to organize the process of
the pilgrims' movement through the Jamarat Bridge in order to prevent
any jams or stampede, since all these forces feel the great honor
they assume to serve their brothers who come for the pleasure of
Allah Almighty and to perform one of the important pillars of Islam.


--SPA