By Abdullahi Yusuf

1. Over 1.07 million pilgrims already in the Kingdom; 1.4 million Nusuk smart cards has been issued and 30+ digital services launched to enhance pilgrim experience.

2. A 75-year-old female pilgrim from Edo State, Adizatu Dazumi, has passed away in Makkah after a brief illness; she was buried the same day in line with Islamic rites. She is the second Nigerian pilgrim reported dead this Hajj.

3. A 65-year-old Nigerian female pilgrim suffered a cardiac arrest at Miqat Mosque and was revived by Saudi Red Crescent emergency teams through rapid CPR efforts in Madinah.

4. A Libyan flight to Saudi Arabia for Hajj made two emergency landings before eventually taking off with Amer Al Mahdi Mansour Al Gaddafi on board after initial immigration delays due to his surname.

5. Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah confirms camp allocations in Mina and Arafat are now fully integrated with crowd control systems; over 37,000 inspections conducted this month, with 3,400 violations resolved.

6. Saudi health minister reports over 50,000 health services delivered with no epidemic cases thus far; 3 field hospitals, 71 emergency points, and 11 air ambulances deployed for the season.

7. Haramain Chief Imam Sheikh Sudais has ordered Friday sermons and prayers to be shortened to 15 minutes max, with Adhan-Iqamah intervals reduced, in light of rising heat.

8. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah reaffirms ban on children for Hajj 2025 to reduce overcrowding; despite increased quota, 67,000 private pilgrims will not participate.

9. Mina is nicknamed the City of Tents—with over 100,000 air-conditioned tents, it becomes the world’s largest tent city every Hajj season.

10. Fun fact: Mina is located about 8 km from Makkah and about 3 km from Muzdalifah—pilgrims walk or take buses between these sacred sites.

11. Did You Know?: Rami al-Jamarat is done to symbolically reject Shaytan, it reenacts Prophet Ibrahim’s (AS) act of stoning the devil when he tried to stop him from obeying Allah’s command.

12. Fun Fact: Each pilgrim throws a total of 49 stones during Hajj, or 70 if staying longer for the full tashreeq days (11th to 13th Dhul Hijjah).

13. Fun Fact: Women, the elderly, and the weak can appoint a proxy to perform Rami on their behalf if it’s too dangerous or difficult.

14. Fun Fact: There are three pillars of Jamarat. Jamarat al-Sughra (small) Jamarat al-Wusta (middle) and Jamarat al-Kubra (large, also called Jamarat al-Aqabah