Samia Samy, head of the Supreme Hajj Committee: Set timings for the movement of buses carrying pilgrims as soon as the sun sets on the Day of Arafah
Nasser Turky: Indicators confirm mutawwifs and field service companies are committed to providing all agreed services to pilgrims
Ahmed Ibrahim: Field committees in place to monitor the delivery of services to pilgrims
Yousry El-Saudi: All tourism pilgrims' camps are made of fire-resistant materials and air-conditioned
Amid a spiritual atmosphere, Egyptian pilgrims are spending the best day on which the sun has risen, the Day of Arafah, as supplications, prayers and remembrance of God have filled the pilgrims' camps without interruption since the early hours of this morning, in the 1446 AH-2025 Hajj season.
On the tourism Hajj front, the ascent of pilgrims, which began yesterday, Wednesday, in the afternoon, was successful. It was carried out through a tight plan supervised by the tourism Hajj mission and implemented with the participation of Saudi field service companies and more than 1,200 companies operating Hajj this year. The efforts made by the Saudi authorities, with all their agencies, helped the ascent succeed without crowding despite the huge numbers of pilgrims from around the world.
The tourism Hajj mission said tourism pilgrims were moved directly to the holy site of Arafat without spending the night of Tarwiyah in Mina, out of concern for the pilgrims' comfort and safety.
Samia Samy, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Companies Affairs and head of the tourism Hajj mission, stated that a tight plan had been drawn up for moving tourism pilgrims in groups from Arafat to Muzdalifah at the time of the nafra, noting that the tourism Hajj mission had set specific timings for the movement of the buses carrying pilgrims as soon as the sun sets on the Day of Arafah.
She added that the tourism Hajj mission's committees are monitoring the delivery of all agreed services to tourism pilgrims during their stay at Arafat and Mina, as well as intervening quickly to resolve any emergencies facing pilgrims, in coordination with the tawafa companies.
For his part, Nasser Turky, Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Federation and member of the Supreme Committee for Tourism Hajj, said the tourism companies operating this year's tourism Hajj programs had provided all means of comfort for pilgrims, noting that at the end of the Day of Arafah the mission will survey the conditions of all the mutawwifs' camps at Arafat.
He added that indicators confirm the commitment of the two pilgrim services companies contracted by the Chamber, Mashariq Al-Masiya and Al-Rajhi, as well as the field service companies, to providing all agreed services to pilgrims.
Turky explained that this monitoring will continue throughout the pilgrims' presence at the holy sites, especially Mina, stressing the need for everyone, "pilgrims and companies", to take into account the limited space at Mina. He noted that the Awqaf imams accompanying the pilgrims had explained the religious ruling on pilgrims spending the night in Mina, citing numerous fatwas in this regard. The Chamber of Tourism Companies also published Dar al-Ifta fatwa No. (7661), which permits the sick, those with valid excuses and those who have no place to forgo spending the night at Mina.
Turky pointed out that many tourism companies had agreed with a number of their pilgrims to transport them daily from their accommodation in Makkah to Mina to stone the Jamarat and then return to Makkah, without spending the night in Mina.
The tourism Hajj mission and tourism companies are preparing for the pilgrims' nafra as soon as the sun sets on the Day of Arafah, and for their arrival in the evening at Muzdalifah to collect pebbles in preparation for the stoning. Everyone is also making every effort in preparation for the pilgrims' arrival at Mina, to avoid crowding and to ensure the availability of all services agreed between the Chamber of Tourism Companies and the two pilgrim services companies, Mashariq Al-Masiya and Al-Rajhi.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Ibrahim, head of the Religious Tourism Committee at the Chamber of Tourism Companies and member of the Supreme Committee for Tourism Hajj, confirmed that tourism pilgrims' camps in Mina are ready to receive pilgrims today, noting that field committees are in place to monitor the delivery of services to pilgrims. He explained that pilgrims will be served three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), as well as juices, ice cream and hot and cold drinks throughout the day.
He noted that the Awqaf imams and preachers accompanying tourism pilgrims have been distributed across the camps where the pilgrims are staying, to give religious talks to pilgrims throughout the day and familiarize them with the ideal way to perform the Hajj rituals.
Ibrahim stated that an emergency plan has been put in place until the end of Hajj, including fast and specific mechanisms for immediate intervention in emergencies to solve problems. He noted that all catering clauses in the contract had been reviewed, and the criteria set for choosing among the companies providing catering services to pilgrims at the holy sites had been checked. The most important of these criteria relate to quality and food safety and their monitoring, through a contract with a specialized company accredited by the Ministry of Hajj to monitor catering quality, out of concern for the pilgrims' safety.
In a related context, Yousry El-Saudi, member of the Supreme Hajj Committee and board member of the Chamber of Tourism Companies, said all tourism pilgrims' camps are made of fire-resistant materials and equipped with air conditioning, noting that pilgrims will be served three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during their stay at the camps in Mina and Arafat, in addition to ice cream, drinks and juices served throughout the day.
