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Turkish pilgrims are welcomed by Saudi and Turkish officials upon their landing at the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz in Medina. Image Credit: The Saudi news agency

Cairo: The first group of Turkish pilgrims, covered by a Saudi project offering Hajj-related facilities, landed in the Saudi holy city of Medina ahead of the upcoming Islamic pilgrimage.

The pilgrims flew from the Istanbul airport to the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz airport in Medina where they were welcomed by Turkish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Fatih Ulusoy and chief of passports at the airport Col. Mohammed bin Hussain on Tuesday, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.

This year marks the first time that Turkey is covered by the “Mecca Route”, a project offering facilities and ensuring a smooth journey for pilgrims coming from specific countries.

In 2018, the Saudi Interior Ministry relaunched the “Mecca Route” Initiative that gives pilgrims from several countries access to facilities including finalising Hajj-related procedures in their home countries.

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Turkish pilgrims are welcomed by Saudi and Turkish officials upon their landing at the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz in Medina. Image Credit: The Saudi news agency

The initiative kicked off on a trial basis in 2017. This year, it is applied to seven countries namely, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Morocco, Bangladesh and Turkey and Cote d’Ivoire.

The first groups of pilgrims from Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh have already landed in Saudi Arabia.

According to this project, the 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.

Accordingly, on arrival in Saudi Arabia, those pilgrims head directly to their residences in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina while their luggage is delivered right to their residences.

Hajj, one of Islam’s five obligatory duties, is due in the final week of June this year. Muslims, who can physically and financially afford Hajj, have to perform it at least once in a lifetime.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj has said that priority for registering to undertake this year’s pilgrimage is given to Muslims who did not perform it before.

The kingdom has said there will be no limits on the numbers of pilgrims from around the world for the upcoming Hajj season, reversing earlier restrictions prompted by the global pandemic.