Ministry of Hajj reveals long-term initiatives to accommodate more pilgrims

Source: Ministry of Hajj, KSA.

Saudi Arabia expects to host many more pilgrims than over the next five years and is preparing to make the umrah and Hajj experiences as smooth as possible, revealed His Highness Dr Bandar ibn Muhammad Hajjar, the Minister of Hajj of Saudi Arabia. According to Dr Bandar, an estimated 8 million umrah pilgrims and 3 million Hajj pilgrims will visit this year, and the numbers will grow over the next five years.

Dr Bandar reported that the umrah and Hajj experiences are being enhanced on many fronts, including e-tracking for foreign pilgrims, crowd control (tafwij) during all stages of the Hajj journey, accommodation, health services, transportation, communications services, and project management. Other initiatives include the welcome and farewell ceremonies for umrah pilgrims, development of a Pilgrim City in Yanbu, and operating rest-houses along the Makkah-Madinah road.

The Ministry of Hajj is conducting studies on accommodating more pilgrims, including estimating water and electricity requirements, health, and transportation services, Dr Bandar said. The studies also cover the housing capacities in Makkah and Madinah, estimating local movement, and the accommodation of large numbers at the Mataf* (tawaf area), Mas`a** (sa`y area) and Al-Haramain Al-Sharifain***.

His Highness Dr Bandar further noted that the state has made the development of Al-Haramayn Al-Sharifayn and care of its visitors a top priority. Recent achievements to this purpose include the expansions of Al-Haramain Al-Sharifain, the Mas`a and the Mataf areas have all been expanded; established a Jamaraat**** facility, railway services in Mashair and Al-Haramain Al-Sharifain; built the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah and the Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz International Airport in Madinah, and also opened a Pilgrims Rest Hall with a 2,400-man capacity. 

*The mataf is the area where pilgrims circumambulate the Ka'abah as part of the ritual called the tawaf

**The Sa'y area is where pilgrims go seven times between the hills of As-Safa and Al Marwah

***Referring to the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah

****A ritual where pebbles are thrown at pillars called jamaraat occurs as part of the pilgrimage