Mashair facilities improved for pilgrims' progress

With average temperatures soaring to highs of up to 43 degrees celsius during the day, staying cool and remaining hydrated will remain a big challenge.

For this, the Saudi Arabian authorities have introduced improvements in Mashair that will keep stress on pilgrims to the minimum.

The measures include the construction of a roofed section between the two tunnels in Muassim where pilgrims encamped in Mina will travel through to get to the Jamrah complex for the “stoning of the devil” ritual.

This covered section will have a mist spray cooling system widely used in the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah.

Mashair refers to Mudzalifah, Arafat and Mina which are the three locations where the haj rituals are focused during the 4-day climax to the haj ritual. Wuquf is the act of being present in Arafat between noon on 9 Zulhijjah till sunset the next day, however fleeting or momentary.

These three locations are unoccupied save for the selected three days called Tashriq (11, 12 and 13 Zulhijjah) which means its bleak and featureless landscape accentuate the high temperatures during the summer months. In winter, the opposite is the case.

Other improvements are the building of double storey buildings to house toilet facilities which are rudimentary at best and always in short supply compared to the number of users huddled together in prayer and contemplation.

Another innovation is the incorporation of travelators – not unlike those found in airports that have embarkation and disembarkation piers far away from terminal buildings – in the tunnel which will greatly reduce the exertion faced by pilgrims, especially those who are aged or infirmed.