In MAKKAH Monorail USD 60 Trillion Operations Only Two Days in a year

Transport Hajj in Mecca pilgrimage season starting next year will change the total. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is preparing a mass transportation modes are very efficient and environmentally friendly, so the journey to Arafat during the peak pilgrimage more comfortable.

nan holy erjalanan colossal from Mecca to Arafat (via Mina and Muzdalifah) traditionally happened yesterday was the last. Next year the way he has changed completely: use the monorail. No more menyemut bus lines, which can only nggeremet speed 5 km / h, even more often stops altogether. If not, can still walk for a distance of 20 kilometers it.

Once the pilgrimage season this year is complete, the project of Mecca, Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat was immediately started. Within 10 months of this project must be completed, so that could be used in next year's Hajj season. Railroad would be built on the ground with poles as tall as a buffer between 5 to 10 meters, depending on local circumstances. Number of tracks four lanes: two left, two back. The cost of this project do not be surprised: Rp 60 trillion.

Change is certainly a revolution in the pilgrimage arrangements. In the old days, everyone would walk or ride a camel. Then, when the number of people made the pilgrimage continued to grow, diadakanlah motorized transportation. Each year the number of buses continued to add: last year the bus has reached 25,000.

The bus had two kinds: there are regular buses, some that did not use the roof. Understandably, one thinks that in this sacred journey, not riding the roof. Hajj is not valid. This followed the old guidelines that the trip was the relationship between man and God in the heavens should be straightforward: there should be no barrier. Likewise, when undergoing the ritual pilgrimage peaks, ie half a day sunbathing on the Arafat plain, should not be under the tent.

Despite years of becoming more and more tents (there is even an air-conditioned), still too many who think of worship as it was not accepted the Lord. There are currently no information whether the monorail which connects Makkah and Arafat later also two types: the monorail is not roofed and the roof. Or all of it roofed so that the opinion "unauthorized roofed" can choose the old way: on foot.

We never walk when leading a group of young children from Java Post Group. Departure from Mecca at 4 PM, arrived at Arafat at 23:30. Along the way crowded not play. If more tired and almost hopeless, we always see an old woman who was strong to continue on foot. Along the way a lot of vendors who sell all kinds of food and beverages: tea, coffee, Coca-Cola, water, and various cakes. On foot, if not exhausted, be faster than taking the bus. Understandably, more than 2 million people have departed from the same place, to the same place through the same path. Only, vehicle lane and pedestrian path is not the same. At a distance where the two roads is rather close (about 500 meters) so that we can see what a logjam of cars on the track there. Sometimes the distance is far apart the two lines so that we can only dimly see.

One disadvantage of using these vehicles are: the vehicle can not arrive at Arafat within the limits of time: before 12:00 o'clock in the Hari Raya Haji. Every year there were thousands of pilgrims who "late" like that, which many people believed, actually make unauthorized worship.

Next year, with a monorail, traveling for 6 to 10 hours could be shortened to only one hour! This monorail will stop at several stations according to a predefined schedule. Including stops at some point where the concentration of very dense residential population.

Managing travel only 20 kilometers it was extremely difficult and tight. Understandably, all the way millions of people regarding it should be done in two days. Although there is asking for ideas hadj not just once a year, yet no one can start. Understandably, the off-season pilgrimage, Arafahnya own fields closed. Hold the key government officials of Saudi Arabia Wahabi wing. Namely, the flow of the opinion that Hajj season should only be done in the month of pilgrimage as ever. We've berumrah together religious leaders from Indonesia, which is desperate to off-season haj pilgrimage. But, there can not change her mind. Hit technical problems such as how to open the gate Arafat plain.

So you can imagine, the monorail worth Rp 60 trillion that was in one year will only be used practically in two days! What to do with the rest either. Except for the Makkah-Mina route is still there surrounding residents. However, for point-Muzdalifah and Mina-Arafat Muzdalifah, there is practically no human being who lived there. We had to Muzdalifah and Arafat in the off-season pilgrimage: really just a desert. Mina is still there in the building of small hotels with air-conditioning window visible from the outside, but the building was empty. The air-conditioning, for a year, also just started a two-day pilgrimage season. In fact, when the pilgrimage season, could get the hotel patio just been lucky. Especially if you can stop urinating.

Modernization of infrastructure facilities in Makkah (Mecca Mandarinnya language: Mei Jia, which means "beautiful house") and its surroundings would have brought major changes in the behavior of pilgrims. Increasingly heavy task of supervising all the pilgrimage: not only how to use the toilet on the plane, but also how one day live in air-conditioned rooms with modern facilities. Including how the procedure serbaotomatis monorail ride. Our pilgrims, can be more visible keterbelakangannya.

Modernization of transport infrastructure for the little people, should indeed take precedence with two objectives: the modern services for small people (not just the rich who can modern life), and increase self-confidence as a nation.

With the change in the face of Makkah in total this time, the image of the Islamic center that was going to change. Including open-minded people who've been there. The loss of the Zamzam well in the Masjid Al Haram, for example, had been accepted at last. Court in Masjid Al Haram is now more spacious and roomy. Building Zamzam well is now completely dismantled: leveled. Zamzam well water was channeled in a modern way to somewhere else: one can obtain Zamzam water in the new place, which is far from the mosque. So if there are pilgrims who used to feel more complete if washed with Zamzam water in his native place, now forced to "give in" to modernization. Zamzam water remains wudunya, but do not ask again where the original source.

In fact, now there is a discourse that the tomb of the Prophet Abraham's near the shrine will also be evicted. Also intended to be in the mosque's courtyard and spacious flat. Thus, there is no longer the bottle neck in the flow of people who do tawaf (walking around the Ka'ba as much as nine times) in the location of the tomb of Prophet Abraham. So far, the crowd always try to stop there: from the will made a prayer, just like holding a part of the tomb, or even a mere peek at what's there. In that discourse, the small building the tomb was removed, and the floor given the opaque glass to look down the ground. But this discourse has not reached the level of planning.

Efforts to increase the capacity of mosques are being implemented. Began to build a special place for people with disabilities tawaf to increase the capacity of the sa'i new this year at all.

In Mecca, in the last ten years and to ten years ahead not only will always be changes, but there are always new!