Saudi Arabia: 1.3 million overseas pilgrims arrive to perform Hajj
1.2m arrived by air, while 57,463 via land ports and 4,648 by sea
Cairo: As many as 1.3 million Muslims from abroad have arrived so far in Saudi Arabia for next week’s annual Hajj rites, the kingdom’s passport authorities have said.
Until Monday, a total of 1.3 million pilgrims have entered via the kingdom’s air, land and sea ports, the General Directorate for Passports said in a statement.
The figure included 1.2 million arriving by air while 57,463 arrived via land ports and 4,648 others by sea, it added in a breakdown.
Saudi Arabia has said it expects more than 2 million pilgrims from over 160 countries in this year’s Hajj season.
Saudi authorities have said there will be no limits on the numbers of pilgrims from across the globe for the upcoming Hajj season, reversing earlier restrictions prompted by the global pandemic.
In the past two years, the kingdom curtailed the numbers of Muslims allowed to perform Hajj to prevent spread of COVID-19.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two holiest sites, has put its Hajj-related agencies on maximum alert this year to ensure comfort for the large numbers of pilgrims who continue to arrive ahead of the rites.
As part of facilities, Saudi Arabia is implementing the “Mecca Route” an initiative that gives pilgrims from several countries access to facilities including finalising Hajj-related procedures in their home countries.
The initiative kicked off on a trial basis in 2017.
It is applied this year to pilgrims from seven countries, namely, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Morocco, Bangladesh, Turkiye and Cote d’Ivoire.
According to this project, facilities offered to pilgrims include issuance of electronic visas at home, finalising passport procedures as well as tagging and sorting out luggage at the departure airports.
On arrival in Saudi Arabia, those pilgrims head directly to their residences in Mecca and Medina while their luggage are delivered right to their residences.