Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz has issued an order to host 2,322 people from around the world to perform the upcoming Haj 1445 AH-2024 pilgrimage.
These include 1,300 people from more than 88 countries, 1,000 family members of the martyrs, prisoners and wounded Palestinians and 22 people from the families of conjoined twins who were separated in the Kingdom.
The gesture is part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Guests Program for Haj and Umrah, which is supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance.
Since its inception 26 years ago, more than 60,000 pilgrims have been hosted under this program, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, expressed positive feedback on the initiative, highlighting the kingdom’s commitment to the Muslim community worldwide.
He said that preparations for hosting these pilgrims have begun and a strategic plan has been developed.
This year’s Haj is expected to begin from June 14 to June 19.
The 2023 Haj season was the first to witness the complete return of pilgrims since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of pilgrims during the 2022 Haj season reached 899,353, while the 2021 season was limited to the participation of only 60,000 from within the Kingdom.
The 2020 season witnessed only about 10,000 from within Saudi Arabia, compared to about 2.5 million in 2019 from all over the world.
The Haj pilgrimage to Makkah is a mandatory religious duty that must be performed by those Muslims who are physically and financially able to perform it at least once in a lifetime.
