综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

World / Middle East

Flags, phones and human chains: Islam's pilgrims seek the way on hajj

(Agencies) Updated: 2015-09-24 10:45

Flags, phones and human chains: Islam's pilgrims seek the way on hajj

A Muslim pilgrim prays on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual hajjj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca, September 23, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

MECCA - For the millions of Muslims set to start the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca on Tuesday, the challenge of reaching the city where Islam was born has paled in comparison with finding their way once they got here.

Islam's holiest city doubles in size each year as pilgrims from across the world, speaking dozens of languages, throng its streets, battling heat and traffic and improvising techniques to locate friends, compatriots and sacred sites.

"Who did not get lost?" asked Hejar, one in a group of about 20 Algerians who draped their national flag over their shoulders to quickly identify each other among the uniform white towelling robe that all pilgrims must wear.

On Tuesday, the authorities opened the route to Mina, a huge tent city just to Mecca's east where all the pilgrims must camp for the next three days as the hajj reaches a climax with the ritual ascent of Mount Arafat, a night on the Muzdalifa plain and the stoning of the devil at Jamarat.

Around 2.6 million pilgrims are expected to make the hajj this year, although the Saudi Arabian government will not announce the figure until Thursday when the annual pilgrimage reaches its conclusion with the Eid al-Adha holiday.

But even before the crowds of identically dressed pilgrims gather at the main sites to perform the same rituals in unison, the difficulty of finding the way around the city of Mecca, particularly around its enormous Grand Mosque, is intense.

Hejar, the Algerian woman, said she lost her party almost as soon as they arrived, during the "tawaf", when pilgrims circle the black stone of the Kaaba in the centre of the mosque, the point towards which all Muslims pray five times a day.

"We walk in groups and we do the rituals in groups. We stick to one another," she said with a laugh. When she got lost, it took her three hours to find her companions again, despite the fact that she, unlike many pilgrims in Mecca, has the advantage of speaking Arabic.

Previous Page 1 2 3 4 5 Next Page

Trudeau visits Sina Weibo
May gets little gasp as EU extends deadline for sufficient progress in Brexit talks
Ethiopian FM urges strengthened Ethiopia-China ties
Yemen's ex-president Saleh, relatives killed by Houthis
Most Popular
Hot Topics

...
高陵县| 青铜峡市| 甘谷县| 津市市| 乐至县| 湘潭市| 德阳市| 苍南县| 沈丘县| 福建省| 离岛区| 大安市| 巫山县| 铁力市| 绥阳县| 镇雄县| 邯郸市| 古丈县| 香格里拉县| 玛纳斯县| 夏津县| 陕西省| 高淳县| 济阳县| 福建省| 南开区| 独山县| 桂林市| 定州市| 淅川县| 潞城市| 福安市| 通辽市| 虞城县| 镶黄旗| 巴林右旗| 绩溪县| 康平县| 正宁县| 三明市| 盐源县|