Arafat is a broad plain about 20 km east of Mecca. Al-Baqarah 2:198 tells the pilgrims: "When you pour forth from Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash'ar al-Haram." This is the only verse in which the name Arafat appears.
Standing at Arafat (wuquf) on the ninth day of Dhu al-Hijjah is the central pillar of the Hajj. The Prophet delivered his well-known sermon at Arafat during the Farewell Pilgrimage (632 CE). Jabal al-Rahmah, the "Mount of Mercy" on the plain, is a hill visited by pilgrims; the marker shows this hill.
Arafat lies just outside the boundaries of the Haram; after the standing, pilgrims move on towards Muzdalifah.