Saudi Arabia has completed all preparations for Haj by mobilizing all its resources to ensure the welfare and security of pilgrims. Many of the 2.5 million pilgrims, who are expected to perform Haj this year, will leave for the Mina valley, located five km east of Makkah, on Thursday evening at the start of the annual pilgrimage. The rest of them will proceed to the tent city Friday. More than 1.8 million pilgrims have so far arrived from different parts of the Islamic world to take part in the Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam, which every Muslim who is financially and physically fit must perform once in life. They will be joined by more than 500,000 pilgrims from the Kingdom including expatriates, the Saudi daily (Arab News) reported on Thursday. This year the pilgrims will enjoy full-scale operation of the Mashair Railway that links the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. The train service will bring about a dramatic improvement in the transport of pilgrims by carrying more than 1 million faithful during the peak Haj days. The continuous transport system will carry Iranian and non-Arab African pilgrims this year on nearly 3,000 buses. As a result of a massive media campaign launched by the government, the number of pilgrims who sneak into the holy sites without Haj permits and squat in public places would be less than previous years. Security officers have turned back more than 50,000 illegal pilgrims during this Haj season. Illegal pilgrims have been a big bother for Saudi Haj managers. Different government departments are providing various services to pilgrims. The Saudi Commerce Ministry said it would send 180 huge cold-storage trucks to the holy sites to ensure adequate supply of foodstuffs, including beverages, fruit juices and dairy products. It has deployed special squads to monitor prices of essential commodities in Makkah and the holy sites. Saudi banks through their 367 branches in Makkah and 75 Madinah meet the monetary requirements of pilgrims. These banks have a total of 11,517 ATMs in different parts of the country. Many banks will be operating during the Haj season to serve pilgrims. The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs has set up a website named www.al-Islam.org, which attracted more than a million visitors within three weeks. The website contains a number of articles on Haj and answers questions that come in the minds of pilgrims. Charitable organizations play an important role in helping many pilgrims perform Haj free of charge and distributing free meals. The Saleh Al-Rajhi Endowments said it would distribute more than 500,000 packets of meals among pilgrims in Makkah and the holy sites. The charity is also hosting 1,500 domestic pilgrims and 300 Indonesian pilgrims.