The plain
Arafat is a plain held in a curve of mountains on the road between Makkah and Taif, 10 km from Mina and 6 km from Muzdalifah. It is the only holy site outside the boundaries of the Haram. For most of the year it stands empty, its only buildings serving government work in the Hajj season.
Pilgrims stand here on the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah, from dawn until sunset; without the standing at Arafat the Hajj is not valid. To the east rises Jabal al-Rahmah, a hill of black rock some 300 m long, its base about 65 m above the plain. At Namirah Mosque, enlarged to 110,000 m² and holding more than 400,000 worshippers, Dhuhr and Asr are prayed combined and shortened.
On to Muzdalifah
From Arafat, pilgrims move to Muzdalifah, between Arafat and Mina, where they pray Maghrib and Isha together, gather pebbles for the Jamarat and spend the night, leaving for Mina on the morning of the tenth. The site covers about 9.6 km², and Muhassir Valley separates it from Mina.
At its centre stands al-Mash'ar al-Haram Mosque, 90 m long and 56 m wide, with two minarets of 32 m. It holds 12,000 worshippers.