Hundreds of thousands of Muslim Pilgrims are converging on Saudi Arabia’s Mount Arafat, as part of the Hajj, the Islamic religious event that brings massive crowds to Saudi Arabia from around the world every year. (Oct. 3)
SHOTLIST:
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Mt. Arafat, Saudi Arabia – 3 October, 2014
1. Various pilgrims approaching, climbing mountain
2. Various praying on mountain
3. Various pilgrims around mountain, camping out, walking
STORYLINE
Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims from around the world headed to Mount Arafat on Friday by bus, truck and on foot.
They are travelling there to perform the main ritual of Hajj where they stand in contemplative vigil, prayer and recite the Quran.
Mount Arafat is also known as the Mount of Mercy.
The hill is the place where the Prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life.
Saudi Arabia sought to assure the public that the kingdom was safe and free of health scares as an estimated two million Muslims streamed into a sprawling tent city near Mecca on Thursday for the start of the annual Islamic hajj pilgrimage.
Earlier this year, Saudi authorities banned people from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea – the countries hardest hit in the Ebola epidemic – from getting visas as a precaution against the virus.
The decision has affected a total of 7,400 pilgrims from the three countries.
The kingdom has not discovered a single case of Ebola so far and is taking all measures to ensure the safety and health of the pilgrims, according to the Saudi Health Ministry’s department for prevention of infectious diseases.
