Around three million pilgrims have gathered in Mina to start the Hajj rituals. The pilgrims will remain in the tent valley on Monday) and tonight, and later head to Mount Arafat. Most of Pakistani pilgrims will prefer going to Arafat by train, as for the first time in the history, around 63 percent Pakistanis have been allotted tents near train route. The remaining pilgrims will embark on their sacred journey to the Mount Arafat by bus or on foot. Pakistan Hajj Mission has urged the pilgrims to follow their scheduled departure to avoid any mishap due to overcrowding and hot weather conditions. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims with the means. A series of rites are completed over four days in Makkah and its surroundings in the west of oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

 On Sunday night, pilgrims started moving to Mina, about five kilometres (three miles) from the Grand Mosque, ahead of the Hajj's climax at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon. Mina, the world's largest tent city, readied to receive the influx of pilgrims on Sunday, with food supplies brought in and security forces deployed around the area.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP