Read the latest updates on the Hajj pilgrimage here
Muslim pilgrims were gathering at Mount Arafat — a granite hill about 20 kilometres from the Kaaba on the Arafat plains — on Friday to participate in the most important ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The Day of Arafat marks the second day of Hajj, when believers make their way to the mountain where the Prophet Mohammed gave his last sermon.
Pilgrims will make their way to the Masjid Nimrah on the grounds of Arafat where they will listen to the Arafat sermon.
“I am here in Arafat to follow the steps of the Prophet Mohammed when he did his farewell Hajj speech,” Hussein Ali, an Iraqi pilgrim said. "It is very emotional for me just to be here and look at the mountain he climbed."
The Arafat sermon this year will feature a live translation in 14 languages as Saudi Arabia’s leadership seeks to convey a message of moderation and tolerance to the widest possible audience.
However, some pilgrims feel the daily sermons provided could be more inclusive. Othman Khamis, a pilgrim from Tanzania, said: “The sermons interpretations should be improved. Only two languages are so far available, Hindi and Urdu.
"I would have preferred English too, since many pilgrims would have benefited."
After the sermon, Hajj pilgrims will then spend the afternoon praying on the mountain. They will then head to Muzdalifah after sunset, where they will be pick up pebbles for the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual on Saturday.
“I hope my Hajj is accepted, that is my prayer,” Salma Askari, an Indian pilgrim told The National.
Ms Askari is performing Hajj for the first time and is travelling with her husband from Jeddah, where she lives. She arrived in Mina on Wednesday night, as the air-conditioned tents were filling up with Hajj pilgrims and authorities had arranged for gifts and refreshments for each in their rooms.
“We are moving now towards Arafat and will stay at a camp in Arafat. We were told by the Ministry of Hajj that we can start moving tonight or tomorrow at 11am,” Abbas, a pilgrim in Mina, told The National.
Saleh, a Hajj guide and volunteer: “We are going to spend the night in Arafat up until sunset before we move to Muzdalifah. Some of the Hujjaj [pilgrims] will arrive before noon tomorrow."
For many, this year's Hajj is an emotional one, after two years of being barred from performing the ritual due to the Covid-19 pandemic and for those who are performing Hajj in the name of loved ones they have lost.
“Arafat is peaceful and perfect for the recovery from my breakdown I suffered two months ago when my wife of 33 years passed away,” Ismail Al Kaabi, a UAE pilgrim, told The National. I am also dedicating my Arafat visit to her memory. She never made it here."
Pilgrims started boarding the train to Arafat early on Friday after dawn prayers.
"Every group has a guide with them to ensure they stay together based on the country they are from. We are making sure there is no overcrowding and safe for pilgrims to reach their destination,” one Hajj guide said.
This year’s pilgrims were capped at one million, including 850,000 from abroad chosen by lottery. They represent the largest Hajj gathering since 2019 after two Covid-hit years when only tens of thousands were allowed to take part.
“Tomorrow is the main day — the youm (day) of Arafat, we are just resting today, praying here and tomorrow we will head to Arafat and come back early morning on Saturday from Muzdalifah to go to the Jamarat,” Ms Maliha, a local pilgrim performing Hajj, told The National.
This year’s Arafat sermon will be delivered by the head of the Makkah-based Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr Mohammed Al Issa.
Mr Al Issa was Saudi Arabia’s minister of justice before he was appointed to lead the Muslim World League. He is also a member of the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Al Issa led a historic high delegation interfaith visit of Muslim religious leaders in 2020 to the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.
During his visit to Auschwitz, Mr Al Issa said Islamic principles denounce all forms of violence and crime.
“Islamic principles are not double-standard,” he said.
“It condemns and denounces every crime and every evil. We are advocates for peace. We believe in peace.
“This high-level delegation of Muslim scholars from different countries and from different sects has come to say that our religion is one of peace, one of mercy and one which fights evil.”
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
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A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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