MAKKAH: More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj, according to a Saudi official. This number surpasses last year’s international visitors, despite ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
Recent tensions, sparked by US and Israeli actions against Iran, have led to a series of retaliatory strikes from Tehran aimed at various targets in Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf countries. This situation resulted in significant disruptions to air travel and increased travel expenses.
Major airlines in the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain have been working diligently to restore their flight services after weeks of airspace closures and cancellations.
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Amidst these challenges, the flow of pilgrims heading to Saudi Arabia remains strong. “The current count of pilgrims arriving from abroad has reached 1,518,153,” stated Saleh Al-Murabba, the head of Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Passport Forces, during a press conference on Friday evening.
This number is expected to grow in the next couple of days as more pilgrims arrive before the main rituals of Hajj begin on Monday.
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Last year, the total number of pilgrims for Hajj reached 1,673,320, including over 1.5 million from outside the kingdom. Hajj, an essential pilgrimage for all Muslims who can afford it, is one of the five key pillars of Islam.
