Makkah: Defying the Middle East crisis and disruptions to the air network, more than 1.5 million Muslims from around the world have successfully arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
Saleh Al-Murabba, commander of Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Passport Forces, told the media that 1,518,153 foreign pilgrims have arrived in the holy city so far. This number is higher than the same period last year, which is considered an extraordinary achievement given the current regional conditions. More flights are expected to arrive in the next 48 hours before the Hajj rituals begin on Monday.
The travel success comes at a time when security across the Gulf is on high alert following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February. Iran’s retaliatory actions closed Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states’ airspace for weeks, disrupting international air traffic and driving up travel costs to record levels.
During this crisis, Gulf airlines, especially those from the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, showed exceptional professionalism by rescheduling cancelled flights to avoid further delays in the journey of Hajj pilgrims. Despite all these travel and financial difficulties, Muslim caravans from all over the world continued to arrive in Mecca and Medina.
In comparison, the number of pilgrims from abroad during Hajj last year was 1,506,576. This year’s number has already surpassed that record. Hajj is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam, which is obligatory upon every able-bodied Muslim once in a lifetime. Despite this global security and strategic pressure, the gathering of such a large number of pilgrims is a testament to the religious spirit of the Muslim Ummah and the excellent management strategy of Saudi Arabia.
