By Nashir Mansor
MAKKAH: A light drizzle in Mina yesterday afternoon delighted not only local residents but also haj pilgrims from around the world who were performing the jamrah (stoning) ritual.
The half-hour drizzle, accompanied by thunder, encouraged locals to step out into the streets without umbrellas, joined by journalists from international news agencies eager to capture the rare weather event.
For the locals, such rain is unusual during the summer season, while the journalists did not want to miss documenting this uncommon occurrence in the region.
“This is the summer season, there’s supposed to be no rain, but it happened. I am quite surprised,” said Abdulrahim Althobaiti, a liaison officer for Malaysian and other international journalists covering this year’s haj season under the invitation of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
According to Abdulrahim, there was no rain during last year’s haj season.
Abdulrahim said it is common across Saudi Arabia for locals to come out of their homes without umbrellas to enjoy the rain whenever it occurs.
Meanwhile, Noor Azuki Fahme Ismail, a journalist from Bernama’s Arab Desk, considered the event highly anticipated given the current hot weather, with temperatures reaching up to 43 degrees Celsius.
“When it started drizzling, I was in the hotel lobby and saw many hotel residents stepping out into the streets to pray and express their gratitude for the rain during this extreme summer heat,” he said.
Observations in the jamrah area in Mina also revealed that pilgrims seized the opportunity to perform the ritual under the cooler conditions compared to the usual heat.
A total of 21 journalists and photographers from 10 international news agencies are covering this year’s haj season at the invitation of the Saudi Press Agency. — BERNAMA
