Arafat Ritual Site

Arafat is one of the sacred sites that pilgrims visit in Makkah al-Mukarramah, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It stands out as the most prominent among these sites, as it's the only site where one's pilgrimage is not valid unless one stands at it. The day of standing there is referred to as the Day of Arafat, which is the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage. Pilgrims converge at Arafat between dawn and sunset on the 9th day of the Dhul-Hijjah month. It is also the only ritual site located outside the boundaries of the Haram area.

Arafat is geographically formed as a plain surrounded by curved mountain ranges. It is bordered by the Uranah Valley on several sides. Located on the road between Makkah al-Mukarramah and Taif, Arafat is about twenty-two km east of Makkah al-Mukarramah and six km from the closest ritual site, Muzdalifah. It's ten km away from the Mina ritual site.

Arafat is uninhabited, and there's no urban development, except for a few government buildings designated for Hajj season services. There are also several governmental headquarters concerned with Hajj operations.

Surrounding Arafat are several mountains, in addition to the Uranah Valley. Within Arafat lies the mountain of al-Rahmah and Namira Mosque, where the Arafat Sermon is delivered. At this mosque, during the Day of Arafat, Dhuhr and Asr prayers are combined and shortened, performed with one call to prayer and two subsequent calls to commence the prayer.

Pilgrims near Namira Mosque in Arafat. Al-Nadwah Newspaper. (Darah).

The Mountain of Mercy is one of the most famous landmarks of Arafat. It is where the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, stood during the Arafat event and stated, "I stood here, and all of Arafat is a place of standing." Near its rock, he sought shade and delivered the Farewell Sermon, which makes pilgrims flock to it, emulating his actions, peace, and blessings be upon him.

Mountain of al-Rahmah is composed of a group of black-colored rocks, large in size, with a flat surface and a vast area. It has a length of three hundred m, while its perimeter reaches up to 640 m. The base of the mountain rises sixty-five m above the ground, and the peak that surmounts it has a height of seven m. It is known by several names, including: Ilal Mountain, al-Duaa Mountain, al-Qarin Mountain, al-Nabet Mountain, and al-Tawbah Mountain.

Namira Mosque shares with the Mountain of Mercy the attention of the pilgrims. The place of the mosque was a hill where Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, stayed on the Day of Arafah. After midday, he delivered a sermon in a tent and prayed the Dhuhr and Asr prayers, shortening and combining them. In the middle of the second Hijri century, a mosque was built at the place of the Prophet's sermon and was named the Namira Mosque. Numerous expansions took place over time, with the most significant being the Saudi expansion. The area of the mosque then extended to 110,000 m², accommodating more than four hundred thousand worshippers.