MAKKAH – Making the journey of hajj easier to Muslim pilgrims, Saudi officials have completed pedestrian routes from Mount Arafat to Mina, passing through Muzhalifah.

The project was designed according to the latest technology and engineering methods, according to the Director General of Roads in the Secretariat Eng. Zuhair bin Abdul Rahman, Al-Arabiya reported on Thursday.

The routes were created to offer comfortable and secure passage for pilgrims between hajj rituals.

The first road is 5100 meters long, the second is 7580 meters long, the third is 7556 meters long, and the fourth is 4620 meters long.

Extended for more 25 km, making it one of the longest pedestrian roads in the world, the roadway was paved with 500,000 square meters of Interlock tiles with 1000 seats were installed on both sides also to provide the comfort of pilgrims.

Umbrellas were also installed as well as concrete barriers to prevent vehicle entry. High-tech LED columns have been used to light the road and were specified for their low emissions of greenhouse gases.

Aesthetic road designs and artistic touches were used on the four tracks, Bin Abdul Rahman added.

Pilgrims flocked to `Arafat, also known as “Mount of Mercy,” from early morning on Thursday, after spending a night of meditation and introspection in the tent city of Mina which marked the first leg of their five-day spiritual journey.

Pilgrims then will descend by train back to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they will take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil at Jamrat Al-Aqaba and spend the night.

On Friday, all pilgrims head back to Mina, where they will sacrifice animals to mark the beginning of the four-day `Eid Al-Adha.