In scenes of devotion seen nowhere else on the planet, over two million pilgrims, wrapped in seamless white cloth, made their way into an extremely hot Mina on Thursday. They came in buses, large utility vehicles, two-wheelers, wheelchairs, and on foot for the journey of a lifetime. As they walked[…]
Marking the beginning of the annual pilgrimage of Haj on Thursday, around two million pilgrims headed through packed streets of Makkah and surrounding cities including Jeddah and Taif to the enormous Tent City of Mina, located 7 km north east of the Grand Mosque. In a dense sea of humanity,[…]
One hundred and twenty young Saudis are performing Haj this year on behalf of Syrian martyrs, Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, supervisor of the Haj campaign for the Syrian martyrs, has said. The Saudi youth are part of the 450-strong contingent offering Haj on behalf of those who have laid down their lives[…]
The newly expanded Jamarat bridge in Mina can accommodate 500,000 pilgrims per hour during the Haj season, said Prince Mansour bin Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs. “The streets leading to Jamrat, however, cannot hold these many pilgrims. As a result, only 300,000 pilgrims can use the bridge per[…]
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance will be sending out 3,250,000 short electronic messages in 32 languages to guide pilgrims on the proper way to perform Haj rituals and educate them about religious regulations of Haj and Umrah. Talal Bin Ahmed Al-Aqeel, the Islamic Affairs minister consultant[…]
More than 1.4 million foreign pilgrims are expected to perform Haj this year, said Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar. “About 1.36 million pilgrims already arrived from different countries by Sunday night and we expect their number to cross the 1.4-million mark,” he said. Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih, meanwhile, said no[…]
Saudi Arabia will not allow any activity that could undermine the security and safety of pilgrims and violate the sanctity of Haj, said Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif. Saudi security forces are capable of confronting any terrorist group or individual, he said. Prince Mohammed, who is chairman of the[…]
Makkah municipality is taking steps to ensure that the food served to pilgrims by catering companies and restaurants this Haj season is hygienic and of good quality. The municipality and the Ministry of Commerce have been engaged in separate inspections of eateries to ensure the best quality food for pilgrims.[…]
More than 2 million pilgrims, who are to perform Haj this year, can use the newly expanded areas of the Grand Mosque in Makkah for prayers, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered. In accordance with the royal directives, pilgrims will be able to perform prayers inside[…]
Many private drivers shuttling pilgrims between Jeddah and Makkah ahead of haj are charging prices that are 10 to 20 times higher than the fares they charge on regular days, especially for illegal expats and permitless pilgrims who risk traveling to Makkah ahead of time to avoid inspections. Salem Al-Beishi,[…]
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