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| Source: Ministry of Haj and Umra, KSA. |
The tours aimed to examine the procedures adopted by the ministry's sectors on implementation of operational plans for umrah this year, and to improve the services provided to both pilgrims and visitors.
After the tours he stressed the goal of ongoing performance enhancement, and of increasing cooperation between the agencies associated with umrah services.
In Madinah, the Ministry of Haj and Umra's umrah pilgrims' service centers are in the central area around Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque). Since the beginning of umrah season, these umrah service centres have guided 30,000 lost umrah pilgrims and responded to 12,000 e-queries around the clock. In Makkah, over 43,000 services have been carried out for umrah pilgrims and visitors.
On June 20, (15 Ramadhan 1437), the Ministry of Haj and Umra announced that the number of umrah pilgrims who have arrived in the kingdom has reached 5,888,986. An analysis has shown that the pilgrims have been able to follow the rituals with ease despite higher umrah pilgrim numbers this year. This number is expected to reach over six million by the end June going by the number of visas issued.
According to the ministry, the following countries have sent the most umrah pilgrims for the Islamic year 1436. KSA targets to host a million umrah pilgrims every Islamic month from Safar, the second month of the year, to Ramadhan, the ninth month of the year. There are 12 months in the Islamic year.
Country | Umrah pilgrim numbers |
Egypt | 1,151,142 |
Pakistan | 761,327 |
Indonesia | 635,993 |
Turkey | 450,427 |
Iran | 404,114 |
India | 391,242 |
Jordan | 316,300 |
Iraq | 268,063 |
Algeria | 261,791 |
Malaysia | 195,844 |