JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia will not impose any limit on the number of pilgrims for this year’s Hajj, three years after the Covid dent a severe blow to the religious duty performed by Muslims.
Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al Rabiah said on Monday that the number of pilgrims will return to what it was before the pandemic, without any age limit.
The minister made his comments at the opening ceremony of “Expo Hajj”, the conference and exhibition of Hajj and Umrah services held in Jeddah.
“From this year’s Hajj season we will allow Hajj missions from around the world to agree with any authorized company to provide services in the Kingdom,” the minister said at the conference scheduled to be held from January 9-12.
The minister also added that the Umrah visa was extended from 30 days to 90 days and permits its holder to move all around the Kingdom.
Any visitor to the Kingdom with any type of visa can perform the Umrah and visit Madinah, he said.
The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, compulsory for all able-bodied and financially sound Muslims at least once in their lifetime. The Hajj is scheduled in June; however, the preparations continue round the year.
The restoring of Hajj pilgrims number to pre-Covid level means that around 2.5 million people would be performing the religious duty this year. In 2019, about 2.5 million people took part in Hajj. In 2020, around 1,000 people were able to perform the duty due to the pandemic.
In 2022, around 899,353 pilgrims were welcomed to Makkah and Madinah, two of Islam’s holiest sites. During the Covid era, the upper age cap was set to 65 as well but that stands scrapped for this year.
