Rains soak pilgrims at Islam's hajj

updated 3:37 p.m. ET Nov. 25, 2009

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Muslim pilgrims circled Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, on Wednesday in traditional white robes, with new additions — umbrellas and face masks — as the opening of the annual hajj was snarled by the heaviest rains in years and fears of swine flu.

Saudi authorities had already geared up for months with precautions for fear that the pilgrimage could become a perfect incubator for the H1N1 swine flu virus. The event is one of the most crowded in the world, with more than 3 million people from every corner of the globe packed together shoulder to shoulder in prayers and rites for four days.

Now they scrambled to deal with sudden, unexpected downpours that could worsen the perennial dangers of the gathering, particularly deadly stampedes.

Just a slip on a wet sidewalk at the hajj rites could be deadly. In 2006, all it took was a dropped piece of luggage amid a moving crowd to trip up people and cause a pileup that killed more than 360 people at one of the holy sites. Also, the rains can cause flash floods or mudslides in the desert mountains where the rites take place.

On Wednesday, the only fallout from the rains were epic traffic jams, flooded tents of pilgrims and washed-out streets as the faithful tried to make their way to the Kaaba in Mecca. To kick off the hajj, they circle seven times around the cube-shaped shrine draped in black cloth.

'Very surreal'
At times, crowds of men and women under umbrellas, some wearing surgical masks against the flu, circled in the rain-soaked open air courtyard of the mosque surrounding the shrine. But at other times during the day, the site was nearly empty, as were the surrounding streets, usually jammed tight with people praying, eating and selling goods on the hajj's opening day.

"It was very surreal, there was a lot of people yet it was quiet," said Shahidah Sharif, from Atlanta, Ga., after she performed the circumambulation, or counter-clockwise walk around the shrine. "There was just a hush when people were hurrying to get in and get settled. I think the rain calmed the atmosphere and cleansed it. It's giving us a chance to rest."

Many were struggling just to get to the site. Floods closed down part of the main road to Mecca from the Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah — the entry point into the country for most pilgrims. As a result, cars were backed up as long as 20 miles, nearly half the highway's length.

Streets were flooded in Jiddah, waist-high in some areas, and some pilgrims and journalists were trapped there, while in Mecca, electricity cut off and on throughout the day.

Mecca and Jiddah often see rain during the winter months, but Wednesday's downpour was the heaviest in years to coincide with the four-day hajj. Jiddah was swamped with 2.76 inches of rain, more than it gets in a year on average, according to Dale Mohler, senior meteorologist at the weather Web site, Accuweather.com.

More flooding expected
With a storm system intersecting with moisture from East Africa, scattered rains were expected through Friday. "They are still not totally out of the woods yet," Mohler said, warning of the possibility of flash floods and mudslides in the mountains surrounding Mecca. "There's no vegetation on the slopes to soak up the rain," he said. "I would be concerned that there could be some additional flash-flooding for the next two days."

The hajj is a religious duty for every able-bodied Muslim. Many around the world wait a lifetime for a chance to make the spiritual journey in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad and Abraham, considered by Muslims a progenitor of Islam. For believers, it is an opportunity to cleanse one's sins before God.

But it is also a logistical nightmare. Over four days, the population of a small city moves by car, bus and foot between Mecca and several holy sites in the desert nearby, each day performing a different rite all at the same time.

Saudi authorities urged the crowds to move cautiously and not rush to avoid accidents in the rain. Civil Defense spokesman Maj. Abdullah al-Harthi said his organization has plans ready to deal with flooding, and had 300 buses to evacuate people if necessary. He said no casualties have been reported from the rains, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia's biggest worry for months ahead of the hajj was swine flu. The Saudi government has been working with the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to set up clinics and take precautions to stem any outbreak.

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