A Pakistani pilgrim walks 5,000 km in 6 months to perform Hajj

Tas Al-Arab - A young Pakistani man walked more than 5,000 km from his country to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj.

The official Saudi news channel published the story of the young man, Othman Arshad, and said that his journey took about 6 months from the city of Okara in Pakistan to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Arshad said that the journey was very long, and he faced difficulties during it, but the goal of his destination helped him overcome it.

On Wednesday, the pilgrims continued throwing the Jamarat of the Great Aqaba in Mina near the holy city of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, on the first day of Eid Al-Adha, at the conclusion of the most important stations of the Hajj rituals this year, which witnessed the participation of 1.8 million people.

Seven pebbles are thrown at a figure that embodies the temptation of Satan in the Mina Valley. These rituals take place in a huge multi-storey building constructed by the Saudi authorities to reduce the possibility of stampede incidents.

After completion, the pilgrim dissolves his ihram by shaving or cutting his head, and then puts on his normal clothes.

The pilgrimage season will be held this year in very hot weather, reaching 48 degrees Celsius, on Tuesday, in Arafat.

The pilgrims head to Makkah Al-Mukarramah to perform Tawaf Al-Ifadha, which is one of the pillars of the Hajj, and then return to Mina, where they spend the night during the days of Tashreeq, during which they throw the three Jamarat. Pilgrims can leave after Jamrat al-Aqaba al-Kubra if they have an excuse.

After the ritual stoning, the pilgrims return to the Grand Mosque in Mecca to perform the "farewell circumambulation" around the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque.

On Tuesday, the Saudi authorities announced the participation of more than 1.8 million pilgrims, 1.66 million of whom are from outside the Kingdom.