1.8 million pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia for hajj

SAUDI Arabia has so far welcomed more than 1.8 million pilgrims who have flocked to the country in preparation for the annual hajj pilgrimage which begins today, according to the latest statistics issued on Wednesday by the Saudi General Directorate of Passports.

At a news conference in Jeddah, the Director General of Passports, Major General Sulaiman Al Yahya, said the total number of hajj pilgrims who had arrived from abroad via air, land and sea ports by 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday was 1,838,339 pilgrims. The majority of the pilgrims arrived by plane.

Hajj, the largest annual gathering of people from all around the world, is due to begin this year today and last until Wednesday, August 14. In total, more than two million people, including Saudis and expatriate residents of the Kingdom, are expected in Saudi Arabia’s holy cities of Makkah and Madinah for the hajj this year.

In 2018, Saudi authorities officially said that the total number of international and domestic pilgrims was 2.37 million, more than 1.75 million of them from abroad. The 2018 tally topped the 2017 tally of more than 2.35 million international and domestic pilgrims.

According to Wednesday’s official accounting, 1,725,455 pilgrims travelled from abroad by air into the Kingdom, 95,634 pilgrims came via land crossings and 17,250 via Saudi sea ports.

Of the international pilgrims this year, 969,726, or just over 53 per cent, are men and 868,613, or nearly 47 per cent, are women, noted Major General Sulaiman Al Yahya.

He said the tally of attendees might grow in the following days as pilgrims might continue to arrive and would still be welcomed.

Major General Al Yahya highlighted key regulations such as the strict forbiddance of the illegal transport of pilgrims without a permit. He said that so far, 24 persons were stopped trying to transport 96 persons illegally while 300 cases of fake visas were also caught.

A fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals for each pilgrim unlawfully transported, and 15 days imprisonment, is the penalty facing first-time violators. For a second breach, violators will be fined 25,000 riyals for each pilgrim unlawfully transported and they face two months’ imprisonment. Upon a third violation, the fine will be 50,000 riyals for every pilgrim, with a jail term of six months, and a demand to confiscate via a judicial adjudication the vehicle used to transport the pilgrims. Additionally, if the offender is an expatriate they will be deported once the sentence has been served and will be permanently barred from returning to Saudi Arabia.

Major General Al Yahya urged all international pilgrims to abide by the period specified for their departure after performing hajj, which is determined by their respective visa guidelines. Breaching these guidelines subjects violators to a penalty.

The General Directorate of Passports “has provided during the arrival stage, all the qualified cadres and advanced technological systems to guarantee the speed and accuracy of arrival procedures for each pilgrim in record time,” he said.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia held the annual hajj military parade near Makkah. Taking part in the parade were soldiers from various units responsible for security during hajj. Units from almost all Saudi security forces took part of the parade, displaying their abilities and readiness.

The Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, inspected the readiness of hajj security forces to carry out their duties to maintain the security and safety of pilgrims and facilitate their performance of their rituals, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.