MAKKAH/MINA: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has appointed Prince Naif, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, to oversee Haj this year because of a slipped disc. The King's doctors have advised him to rest. Prince Naif has been in Makkah this week, supervising security arrangements for Haj. The decision comes as Haj is almost in full swing. Pilgrims will head to Mina Sunday, following the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for Tarwyia Day. The movement of the pilgrims is taking place in the presence of thousands of security officials. Over 50,000 security officers have been deployed on the roads leading from Makkah to Mina, according to a report carried by the Saudi Press Agency. Cars will be prevented from entering the holy sites. This is to pave the way for large buses authorized to transport pilgrims to the holy sites without creating traffic jams. The authorities have mobilized all the Haj security forces to ensure the smooth flow of pilgrims to Mina. The movement of the pilgrims is expected to be much easier this year because of the numerous upgrades, costing billions of riyal, that have taken place at the holy sites. This includes the Holy Sites Train, the multi-story Jamarat Bridge, hospitals, water reservoirs and many other projects. Over 80 percent of pilgrims were expected to arrive in Mina by the end of Saturday, according to the General Syndicate of Cars. The process has been supervised by the Ascend and Descend Committee, consisting of the Ministry of Haj and other agencies involved in Haj services. Engineer Muhammad Jawharji, Chairman of the General Syndicate of Cars – the agency tasked with transporting pilgrims – said more than 450 buses are being used to take pilgrims to Mina for Tarwyia Day on Sunday corresponding to Dhul Hijja 8, Nov. 14, in accordance with the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He said the fleet was being used to transport pilgrims from Madina to Makkah. The agency also has a representative at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah to pick up pilgrims traveling by air to Jeddah from Madina, to help them get to Mina on time. Jawharji said one of the major tasks of the agency is to transport the pilgrims of the Tawafa Establishments to Arafat on Dhul Hijja 9, which corresponds to Nov. 15. Jawharji added that the syndicate is also engaged in arranging buses for the pilgrims to transport them from Mina to Makkah on Dhul Hijja 12, which corresponds to Nov. 18. The new train linking the holy sites, known as the Mashair Train, and also as the Makkah Metro, rolls out on Sunday to serve pilgrims, a move which is likely to see a major reduction in traffic congestion. The dual-track light railway, with an initial nine stations, connects the three holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Mount Arafat – areas that see massive congestion during the five-day pilgrimage. It will replace 4,000 buses previously used for Haj. The first official trip will set off from Mina at 2 A.M. Sunday as pilgrims gather there on Tarwyia Day to prepare for the Day of Arafat when pilgrims are expected to gather on Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain. The Chinese-built railway will operate at 35 percent of its full capacity in the first phase. It will be open only to Saudi and Gulf pilgrims, forecast at some 130,000 Saudis, 10,000 Kuwaitis and 10,000 Bahrainis, said Saeed Al-Qurashi, head of the Haj and Umrah Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce. Other nationalities will be able to use the train in the second phase. While all pilgrims begin the journey in Makkah, the train initially will run only from Mina, to the east, and on to Muzdalifa and Mount Arafat further east. All pilgrims leave Mina for Arafat by Monday. Later in the day they will all descend by train back to Muzdalifa, halfway between Arafat and Mina, and Tuesday, Nov. 16, they all head back to Mina, where they stay up to three nights for Eid Al
