RIYADH: A stoning ritual which led to the deaths of about 2,300 people during last year's Haj will be more tightly controlled during next month's pilgrimage, Saudi newspapers reported on Wednesday.

The period during which pilgrims can perform the Jamarat ritual will be reduced by 12 hours, the Saudi Gazette and Arab News said.

The symbolic stoning of the devil will be performed as usual over three days beginning September 11 at Mina, about five kilometers east of Makkah's Grand Mosque.

But this year there will be no stoning allowed from 6:00 to 10:30 am on the first day, from 2:00 to 6:00 pm on the second day and from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm on the final day, the Haj ministry said.

“This procedure will enable the pilgrims to throw stones easily and will prevent any stampede that may result from overcrowding,” the Saudi Gazette quoted ministry undersecretary Hussain al-Sharif as saying.

He did not elaborate on how the new time restrictions would reduce the potential for overcrowding. The stampede was the worst disaster in Haj history.

It occurred outside the five-storey Jamarat Bridge, a structure resembling a huge parking garage which hosts the stoning ritual and cost more than $1 billion to build.

It is almost one kilometer long and allows 300,000 pilgrims an hour to carry out the ritual.

Pilgrims blamed the stampede on police road closures and poor management of the flow of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in searing temperatures.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the interior minister who also chairs the Haj committee, ordered a probe immediately after the disaster but there has been no word on its findings.

However, officials have announced a number of safety measures including the revised stoning schedules.

At least 2,297 pilgrims died during the stampede on September 24, according to data from foreign officials, some of whom expressed concerns about difficulty in identifying the victims.

Saudi Arabia issued a death toll of 769.

In another crowd control move, pilgrims are not allowed to circumambulate the Holy Kaaba one hour before or after regular prayers at the Grand Mosque when they begin their Haj, Saudi Gazette and Arab News said.

This year's pilgrimage begins on September 9 but hundreds of thousands have already arrived from around the world.

Opinion

Editorial

The long wait
Updated 23 Feb, 2025

The long wait

Pakistan’s fundamental problem is that two of its most important leaders still cannot get over themselves.
Defending freedom
23 Feb, 2025

Defending freedom

THERE was no other choice. Despite assurances of consultations with key stakeholders, the government passed the Peca...
Anti-Muslim crimes
23 Feb, 2025

Anti-Muslim crimes

THE surge in Islamophobic assaults in the UK, as reported by the anti-hate crime charity Tell MAMA, is a stark...
Judiciary in the dock
Updated 22 Feb, 2025

Judiciary in the dock

Recent developments in SC and IHC certainly seem to have lent credibility to perception that judges perceived as a 'threat’ are being sidelined.
Paying taxes
22 Feb, 2025

Paying taxes

FINANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s ‘hard talk’ at a retail business conference on Thursday was long ...
Rules for thee
22 Feb, 2025

Rules for thee

IT was a year ago when, in the tumultuous aftermath of the 2024 elections, the state banned X. Today, it remains...