Mecca welcomes over 1.5 million foreign pilgrims for annual Hajj pilgrimage

Ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Muslim pilgrims have been arriving in record numbers to Mecca, Saudi Arabia’s holy city, Arab news reported today.

Saudi officials report that over 1.5 million foreign pilgrims had reached the country by Tuesday, with the vast majority arriving by air from around the world.

Authorities expect the total number of pilgrims to exceed 1.8 million this year, approaching pre-pandemic levels.

In 2019, over 2.4 million Muslims performed the Hajj. Saudi Arabia controls the flow of pilgrims through quotas, allowing one pilgrim per thousand Muslim citizens in each country. The Hajj pilgrimage, a central religious duty in Islam, is set to officially begin on Friday in Mecca.