The Jamaraat Bridge is a pedestrian bridge in Mina, Saudi Arabia near Mecca used by Muslims during the stoning of the devil ritual of the Hajj.
The bridge was originally constructed in 1963, and has been expanded
several times since then. The purpose of the bridge is to enable
pilgrims to throw stones at the three jamrah pillars from either the
ground level or from the bridge. The pillars extend up through three
openings in the bridge. Until 2006 the bridge had a single tier (i.e. a
ground level with one bridge level above). At certain times, over a million people may gather in the area of the bridge, which has sometimes led to fatal accidents.[1] “Jamaraat” is the plural of jamrah
which is the Arabic term for each of the pillars involved in the
stoning ritual. It literally means a small piece of stone or a pebbleNew Bridge
Following the January 2006 Hajj, the old bridge was demolished and
construction began on a new multi-level bridge. The ground and first
levels were complete in time for the 2006/2007 Hajj, which passed
without incident. Construction on the remaining two levels have been
completed since December 2007 1428 AH Hajj. The new bridge (designed by Dar Al-Handasah
and constructed by the Bin Laden Group) contains a wider column-free
interior space and expanded jamrah pillars many times longer than their
pre-2006 predecessors. Additional ramps and tunnels were built for
easier access, and bottlenecks were engineered out. Large canopies are
planned to cover each of the three jamrah pillars to protect pilgrims
from the desert sun. Ramps are also being built adjacent to the pillars
to speed evacuation in the event of an emergency. Additionally, Saudi
authorities have issued a fatwa
decreeing that the stoning may take place between sunrise and sunset,
rather than at the mid-day time that most pilgrims prefer.
.[2]
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