Hajj 2025: Mecca's twin city on high alert to serve pilgrims

Cairo: Municipal authorities in the Saudi city of Taif, a key stop for pilgrims en route to Mecca, have announced a full-scale mobilization to provide seamless services to the faithful during the Hajj 2025 season.

All sectors of the Taif municipality, located about 75km from Mecca, have raised their preparedness levels to implement a Hajj-related plan launched by the city’s mayor, Abdullah Al Zaidi.

The plan includes enhanced municipal support at security screening centers and intensified field inspections of food and commercial establishments.

Taif, in western Saudi Arabia, is administratively part of the Mecca region, where the annual pilgrimage rituals are performed.

Mayor Al Zaidi emphasised the importance of demonstrating maximum flexibility in executing the plan to ensure convenience for pilgrims arriving in the region—whether via Taif Airport, by land from Gulf countries, or from within the Kingdom.

Taif Airport is one of six Saudi airports designated to receive Hajj pilgrims. The others are King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah; Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina; Prince Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Airport in Yanbu; King Fahd Airport in Dammam; and King Khalid Airport in Riyadh.

These airports operate across 11 terminals and are staffed by more than 18,000 employees.

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authorities have allocated over 3 million seats for domestic and international pilgrims aboard both chartered and scheduled flights during the Hajj season.

Last year, around 1.8 million pilgrims performed Hajj, including 1.6 million from abroad. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.