Hajj pilgrims prepare their pebbles for stoning ritual

Pilgrims head to the Mount of Arafat as the sun sets, and gather pebbles for the “Ramy al-Jamarat” procession, the stoning ritual at the holy mosque of Mina on the morning of Eid al-Adha.

The silence of the Muzdalifah mountains is broken by the rummaging of pebbles, as pilgrims make sure to collect the most appropriate sized ones to use in the ritual. While it is a seemingly lengthy process, it is one that becomes part of a pilgrim’s memory.

On the first day of Eid, this tranquil space will be filled with pilgrims, all equal to one another as they take a break from a long day at the holy Mount of Arafat.

There are three basins, each with the capacity to hold a thousand square meters of pebbles. This capacity can be used to build facilities or pave roads should these pebbles be used in construction. The pebbles are transported to oval conical basins designed to push the pebbles in reaching an underground depot where they remain until it is time to remove them by the end of the pilgrimage season.