MAKKAH, 23 January 2005 — The current Haj season has been “successful in all respects,” Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed said yesterday.

Prince Abdul Majeed, who is also president of the Haj Committee, attributed the success to the joint efforts of all organizations charged with serving the guests of God.

“I call this Haj season a successful season in all respects,” he told a press conference here as this year’s Haj wound down yesterday after pilgrims completed their five-day rituals.

He said the modifications done on the Jamrat Bridge this year proved very effective in crowd control. The bridge was the scene of stampedes in past years. He also commended the efforts of Saudi security forces in regulating the crowd over the Jamrat Bridge.

The prince added that some responsible officials, however, did not organize the crowd over the bridge after the pilgrims stoned the devil and did not go by the plans of the Ministry of Haj. He said action would be taken to correct the problem.

Prince Abdul Majeed said Haj institutions had played an important role in educating pilgrims on the proper way of performing Haj before they arrived in the Kingdom.

He said, “The rain in Mina today did not cause any injuries but it affected some pilgrim camps when water seeped into them”. He pointed out that security personnel were in top readiness in case evacuation was needed.”