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| Hajjis leave Mecca for Mina |
The Hajj kicked off today when more than two million pilgrims left Mecca for Mina. For some it was a slow start, a journey that usually takes 25 minutes took some Hajjis more than five hours as traffic ground to a halt.
More than 20,000 buses transported the pilgrims the 15km to Mina, with some hajjis enjoying the ride from the roof made safe by the fact the buses was moving so slowly.
"The roads in Mecca were chock-a-block there were buses everywhere, the traffic police were not letting some buses move so we just sat there," said one female pilgrim.
This was the first official day of the Hajj, the 8th day of Dhul-Hijjah on the Islamic calendar. The trip to Mina is known as Tarwia or watering day.
The infrastructure at Mina is staggering, the town exists only to accommodate pilgrims during the Hajj, for the rest of the year it sits empty.
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| Mina - tent city |
There are some 57,000 tents in Mina. Following a fire in 1997 where more than 300 pilgrims perished, the Saudi government has spent approximately £400 million on installing inflammable, air-conditioned tents and improving amenities.
The scale of the tent city is difficult to comprehend. One Hajji was bowled over upon arriving in Mina, "there are thousands and thousands of tents, as far as the eye can see and they all look the same," he said.
"It's like something out a sci-fi movie, I feel like I'm in Star Wars."
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| Pilgrims stick together in Mina |
Many of the pilgrims stuck close together worried about getting lost. Until recently
there was a reported 10,000 lost pilgrims a day. This year a computerised
system and 4,000 boy scouts were on hand to help.
The tents are separated into countries with flags signifying the nationality of each section. Britain's 20,000 pilgrims are staying next to the 7,000 American Hajjis.
The tents are split into male and female and some accommodate up to 50 pilgrims each.
"They're like the Tardis in Dr Who," said one British pilgrim from London.
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| British pilgrim Kosser Sheikh |
"They don't look that big from the outside but they fit a lot of us and are surprisingly comfortable," he said.
Some of the luxury tents also include sofas and beds.
Providing food and drink for more than two million people is a huge consideration. Mina has more than 6,000 fast food outlets and its bakeries churn out more than five million loaves of bread a day.
There are stalls everywhere and in the word of one pilgrim, "everyone is making a killing off us".
Tomorrow sees the Hajjis head to Arafat for the main event of the Hajj, a day of prayer and meditation from sunrise to sunset.
It will be another big day for the traffic police.
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Live at the Hajj