Mina - the city of five-day stay - is ready to welcome over 2 million pilgrims - of whom about 1.8 million have come from across the world, a Saudi Gazette report says.

The pilgrims will on Wednesday proceed to Mina, which is about five km east of the holy city of Makkah, in what is called Youm Al Tarwiya (Day of Watering). Some of them will be in Mina from Tuesday night, the report added.

Everything has been put in place by the government and private institutions concerned with the Haj services. All arrangements have been made to receive the pilgrims and provide them with best services to facilitate them in performing their Haj rites.

The Supreme Authority for the Development of Makkah (SADM) announced that about 22 development projects in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah have been completed for the guests of God for this year's Haj season, the report pointed out.

The projects include a pedestrian bridge to the west of Al Wadi (valley) hospital in Mina, shading the pedestrian road from Al Aziziyah district in Makkah to the Jamarat area in Mina, establishment of many new toilets, installation of six new meat grinders in the modern slaughterhouse in Muaisem, setting up of water sprinkles in the Jamarat area to freshen the air, shading of the roads leading to train stations and completion of a station to process the carcuss of the slaughtered animals, the authority said.

More than 95 per cent of the pilgrims who were in Madinah to pay homage to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and pray at his mosque left the Prophet's City amid tears to assemble in Makkah, the report added.

On Sunday, about 2,200 buses carrying more than 85,000 pilgrims left Madinah for Makkah.

Source: Khaleej Times