According to Saudi Arabia, more than 1.6 million Muslim pilgrims have already entered the country for the Hajj pilgrimage this year.
million pilgrims arrive for Hajj: According to a statement from the General Directorate of Passports, 1,626,500 pilgrims have entered the nation through ports on land, at sea, and in the air.
It was also mentioned that there were 1,559,053 pilgrims from abroad.
Pilgrim groups continue to arrive from all over the world. This year, the oil-rich monarchy anticipates more than two million Muslim pilgrims to go and perform the Hajj.
Due to measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, Saudi Arabia has scaled up Hajj during the last three years.
According to official statistics, around 899,999 Muslim pilgrims made the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in 2022.
While COVID-19 limits were in place, the monarchy accepted up to 60,000 pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia in 2021, compared to only 10,000 doing so in 2020.
One of the five pillars of Islam is the Hajj, or pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. If they have the means, Muslims must perform it at least once during their lifetime.