Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee and the Chairman of the Central Haj Committee, announced Tuesday the success of this year's Haj season. Prince Khaled congratulated King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, on the success of this year's Haj. He said pilgrims performed the Haj rituals with ease and comfort due to the excellent services and facilities provided to them. He stressed the success of all government departments in the performance of their duties. He thanked all citizens who volunteered to serve pilgrims. “Saudi citizens have given the best example of dedication to serve the Guests of Allah,” he said. The five-day Haj rituals ended Tuesday with the stoning of the three curved walls symbolizing Satan. Pilgrims and Haj delegates from various countries and missions praised the Saudi authorities for the best-possible arrangements and services provided to the Guests of Allah, which made the Haj safe and comfortable. This Haj was unprecedented for the smooth and incident-free flow of pilgrims thanks to the Mashair Train, also known as the Makkah Metro, which operated this year at its full capacity of 72,000 people per hour to ease congestion. The dual-track light railway connected the three holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafat. This Haj was also unprecedented because of the number of pilgrims which, according to the final figures released by the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI), stood at 2,927,717. Of these, 1,828,195 pilgrims came from abroad and 1,099,522 from within the Kingdom. The stoning ritual, always a cause for concern for the authorities, went smoothly thanks to the massive expansion and development of the Jamarat site. Authorities have installed a multi-level walkway at the site to avoid overcrowding and stampedes. Until 2004 the three Jamarat were tall pillars. After the 2004 Haj, Saudi authorities replaced the pillars with 26 m (85 ft) long walls for safety. As part of the overall security and crowd-control plan put in place for this year's Haj, only 300,000 pilgrims an hour were allowed at the Jamarat Bridge, according to Maj. Gen. Saad Bin Abdullah Al-Khelaiwi, Assistant Commander of Haj Security Forces for Pedestrian Management and Organization. He said this year Al-Rabita Street was linked with the second tier of the Jamarat Bridge, reducing pressure on King Khaled tunnel and bridge. More than 12,000 security guards were on hand to organize the movement of pilgrims on the walkway this year with around 400 CCTV security cameras placed there to help manage the crowds. “Over 239,000 people have been working on the ground” to serve the pilgrims and maintain order, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal told reporters Authorities managed the crowds with electronic monitors which track each and every pilgrim during the five-day Haj, Fouad Bin Abdul Salam Al-Farsy, Minister of Haj, said. With motion sensors placed on surveillance cameras, “we are now able to report any excessive crowding” and to react in time, said the commander of the special emergency forces, Khaled Al-Mohammadi. The stoning site has been “developed... (and) movement is more fluid and the organization is better,” said Mokhtar Khan, a Bangladeshi pilgrim. Various initiatives implemented and planned by the Kingdom will make the Haj more comfortable in future, Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom was quoted as saying by the Malaysian National News Agency. He said the obvious improvement was the development of the multitiered Jamarat. He said the introduction of specific timing for pilgrims from different continents also facilitated the process. Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeah announced Tuesday that the Haj season was free from epidemic or quarantine diseases and that pilgrims were well and enjoying good health. For the first time this year, the Haj was streamed live on video-sharing website YouTube in cooperation with the Saudi government. The stream can be seen at youtube.com/hajjlive. The Ministry of Religious affairs sent 3.25 million text messages each day to the mobile phones of pilgrims to inform them of correct procedures for the Haj rites so as to “prevent that which is harmful,” ministry official Sheikh Talal Al
