Manama: Kuwait will send 14,000 people to perform Haj (pilgrimage) this year, a Kuwaiti official has said.
An agreement on the quota was reached with the Saudi authorities overseeing the organisation of the fifth pillar of Islam held in Makkah and its immediate surroundings. Haj, which follows a lunar calendar, this year will be in the first week of November.
According to Mutlaq Al Garrawi, the assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs for external relations and pilgrimage affairs, 1,250 Bidoon (stateless Arabs) living in Kuwait will perform pilgrimage this year.
The figure is the same as in 2010.
Al Garrawi said that the early approval by the Saudi authorities of the number of Kuwaitis who could perform Haj gives ample time to Kuwaiti pilgrimage operators to finalise their contracts and arrangements, Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported.
The official has visited 120 buildings and 50 hotels to check their readiness to offer services and facilities for the would-be pilgrims during their stay.
Accommodation inspected
Inspection of the accommodation and facilities for the pilgrimage usually takes place at least one month before the Haj to ensure their standards.
Basic required conditions include separating the living place into one section for men and another for women, preparing properly equipped medical clinics and kitchens that conform to health regulations and civil defense requirements, he said.
Every Muslim who is physically and financially capable must perform Haj at least once in a lifetime.
