In pictures: First batch of Haj pilgrims start arriving in Saudi Arabia

Members of the Saudi Health Ministry medical team wait for the first group of Haj pilgrims at the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport. The Haj 2020 season, which has been scaled back dramatically to include only around 1,000 Muslim pilgrims as Saudi Arabia battles a coronavirus surge, is set to begin on July 29.

Pilgrims from 160 nationalities will be undertaking Haj this year. From within the country, people from the cities of Madinah, Riyadh, Abha, Tabuk and Jazan have been travelling to Mecca.

Mask-clad travellers arrive for the annual Haj pilgrimage. Haj was limited this year to some 10,000 people living in Saudi Arabia, both citizens and residents, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Orderly and maintaining COVID-19 protocols such as social distancing and mask wearing, pilgrims begin their journey at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport.

Saudi Arabia has announced that 70 per cent of this year’s pilgrims will be expatriate residents while the remaining 30 per cent will be Saudis. The expatriates wishing to perform this year’s Haj had to meet certain health conditions.

A mask-clad traveller walks with his luggage to take a bus from the airport. This year's Haj will be held under strict hygiene protocols, with access limited to pilgrims under 65 years old. To undertake the journey, one must also not suffer from any chronic illnesses.

On a bus, travellers leave empty spaces as a precaution against the virulent COVID-19. Authorities called on all citizens and residents to abide by the instructions regarding Haj season this year.

A member of the Haj staff checking the travel documents of a group of travellers at a hotel in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca.

Pilgrims will spend several days in a hotel (such as the one pictured) from Saturday July 25 until Wednesday July 29 and at the end of the isolation period, they will go to Mecca.

Medical workers check the body temperature of travellers arriving for the annual Haj pilgrimage at a hotel in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca. In Mina, an area about 20 kilometers east of Mecca, the Saudi Haj Ministry has allocated a fully furnished and equipped tower to accommodate pilgrims during the final days of Haj, which coincides with Eid Al Adha, or the festival of sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims.

A Saudi security officer motions to an ambulance at a checkpoint in Mecca ahead of the annual pilgrimage.