They’re everywhere – in the air, on the pavement, on the robes of worshipers and on the walls of the Great Mosque. A swarm of locusts has descended on Mecca, prompting a large-scale cleaning operation.
Mecca attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe every year, but this time it became a site of completely different pilgrimage. The insects have been plaguing the holy site in Saudi Arabia for a few days now, with social media relaying a detailed account of the havoc they caused.
#السعودية :
حشرات طائرة تهاجم الحرم في #مكة_المكرمة بكثافة كبيرة في ظاهرة لا تخفى دلالتها أو رمزيتها ! اللهم طهر بيتك للطائفين والعاكفين، واجعله ولايته فيمن خافك واتقاك، وابتغى رضاك. pic.twitter.com/OZvNjUhq3F
— د. محمد الصغير (@drassagheer) January 7, 2019
لعمري لم أسمع أو أرى مثل هذا من قبل
اجتياح صراصير لمدينة مكة بما فيها الحرم المكي.. #صراصير_الحرمهذا نذيرٌ من الله تعالى للحكام السعوديين المستكبرين المجرمين ومن والاهم
قال تعالى:
(فأرسلنا عليهم الطوفان والجراد والقمل والضفادع والدم آيات مفصلات فاستكبروا وكانوا قوما مجرمين) pic.twitter.com/V1uDs3fzuG
— هاشم احمد شرف الدين (@hashemsharafdin) January 8, 2019
Local authorities have assigned 22 teams, each consisting of 138 people and armed with 111 pieces of specialized equipment, to curb the infestation.
“We have harnessed all efforts available to speed up the eradication of the insects in the interest of the safety and comfort of guests to God's house,” they said is a statement, cited by Al-Araby website.
The masked workers were spraying insecticide in the area around the Great Mosque, paying extra attention to the locust breeding sites near open water drains. They were then seen sweeping thousands of the dead insects from the pavement.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الطُّوفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ آيَاتٍ مُّفَصَّلَاتٍ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا مُّجْرِمِين
#مكة_المكرمةpic.twitter.com/vK7X4gmpJz
— Ali tawil