Jamarat Bridge

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The Jamarat Bridge (Arabic: جسر الجمرات; transliterated: Jisr al-Jamarāt) 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 since then. The purpose of the bridge is to enable pilgrims to throw stones at the three jamrah pillars from either the ground or the bridge. The pillars extend up through three openings in the bridge. Stones thrown from the upper level fall through to the ground below. Until 2006 the bridge had a single tier (ie. a ground level with one bridge level above). Following the January 2006 Hajj, construction began on a multi-level bridge.

At certain times, over a million people may gather in the area of the bridge, which has sometimes led to fatal accidents.^[1] “Jamarat” 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 pebble.^[2]

1 Safety issues
2 Notes
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Safety issues

During the Hajj, so many people use the bridge that overcrowding can create a hazard.

In 2004, 251 pilgrims were trampled to death performing the ceremony. Following this accident, Saudi authorities embarked on major construction work in and around the Jamarat Bridge area. Additional accessways, footbridges, and emergency exits were built, and the three cylindrical pillars were replaced with longer and taller oblong walls of concrete to enable more pilgrims simultaneous access to them without the jostling and fighting for position of recent years.^[3]

A 2006 incident is known to have killed at least 362 people in a similar stampede, apparently caused when people tripped over luggage that had been unloaded from a tour bus near the entryway, which serves as a bottleneck to accessing the bridge. The BBC News reports "The stone-throwing ritual in Mina has seen many stampedes, but the number of dead is the highest in 16 years."^[4]

Prior to this latest tragedy, the Saudi Arabian government had announced plans for a new, nine-story bridge to help with the safety of the visitors.^[5] This project is planned for completion in time for the 1427 AH (Dec. 2006 – Jan. 2007) Hajj.