He tapped a few keys on the laptop in front of him, and a graphic listing the Islamic months was transmitted to a large video screen on the far wall. Everyone turned to get a better view.
“Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the one we use in America, the Islamic calendar is lunar. It is roughly eleven days shorter than our calendar, meaning Islamic holidays are celebrated eleven days earlier than the previous year—at least according to our calendar. This year Dhul al-Hijjah started on December 23.”
Payne instantly recognized the date. It was the day that Schmidt faked his own death.
It corresponded with the beginning of the hajj season.
“You might be wondering, why is this date important? The answer is quite simple. The hajj is very structured. Pilgrims must perform specific tasks on specific days, or else they do not meet their sacred obligation. That means on any given day, at any given time, we know exactly where the majority of pilgrims would be.”
“How many are we talking about?” Jones asked.
“According to the Ministry of Hajj, which just released official data, there are nearly two point four million pilgrims in Mecca this year, nearly one point seven million from countries other than Saudi Arabia.”
Click. A new graphic explained the pilgrimage, day by day.
“The hajj itself doesn’t begin until the eighth day of the month, when all pilgrims walk from Mecca to the village of Mina, a journey of five kilometers, where they spend the night in forty-four thousand fire-resistant tents that the Saudi government assembled. All of the tents are white, but signs are color-coded by nationality so pilgrims can stay with their own. For prayer and safety.”
“Define safety,” Payne said.
“The Saudis would love you to believe that the hajj is a safe journey, but that’s misinformation. The truth is, several people die in Tent City every hajj. In the past, the biggest concern was always fire. Blazes swept through every year until they put up fire-resistant tents. Now the biggest issue is disease. All those people coming from all those countries and assembling in one spot? The numbers are mind-boggling. On average, there are more than fifty people sleeping in each tent.”
Click. A picture of Tent City filled the screen. White tents in straight rows stretched as far as the eye could see. Like snow-covered peaks in the desert sand.
“From here, the hajj continues forward. But pilgrims will return to Tent City on their return trip to Mecca.”
Click. The next photo showed a massive plain that surrounded a granite hill.
“Day two begins before dawn. They journey to the Plain of Arafat, where they ask Allah for forgiveness for all their sins. In the background you can see Mount Arafat. It is where Muhammad delivered his farewell sermon in 632 ad. Muslims also believe that Adam and Eve were reunited on this hill two hundred years after their separation, punishment for their disobedience.”
“You mean the Adam and Eve?” Payne asked.
“One and the same. Most people find this surprising, but Muslims and Christians have many of the same core beliefs—including the same god. The confusing part is each group calls their figures a different name. Christians say God. Muslims say Allah. But it’s the same deity. In fact, if you go through the Old Testament, you’ll see several of the same names, albeit with different spellings, in the Qur’an. Adam, Eve, Abraham, Ishmael, Hagar, and so on.”
Harrington cleared his throat. “Professor, please get back on point.”
“Yes, sir.” He clicked on the next photo. It showed a long stone wall that was surrounded by pilgrims, all of them dressed in white. “Today is the third day of the hajj. Pilgrims will perform ramy al-jamarat, or the stoning of the devil, after the noontime prayer. They are required to throw pebbles, which they collected last night at Muzdalifah, at three stone walls that represent the temptations of Satan. Until recently, they threw pebbles at large pillars called ja-marat, but the crowds have grown so large in recent years that they decided to build long walls to spread the people out instead of having them crowd around pillars. In the past, hundreds have been trampled and killed.”
Next photo. It showed a slaughterhouse in Mina, filled with lambs, cows, camels, and goats.
“After the stoning, pilgrims are expected to slaughter their best animal, called udhiya. This represents the sacrifice that Abraham was willing to make when God commanded him to sacrifice his son Ishmael. In the past, pilgrims did the slaying themselves or directly oversaw the process. But now they are able to buy a sacrifice voucher that ensures an animal will be killed in their name. Today more than four hundred thousand animals will be slain.”
Click. A map of the hajj path filled the screen. It pointed out all the locations he had described. An arrow showed the traffic flow as it left Mecca and went to Mina, the Plain of Arafat, and returned to Mina. The final arrow pointed back toward Mecca.