In a significant development, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has witnessed an influx of pilgrims for this Haj season 2024 (in 1445 AH), with over 1.2 million devotees arriving in the country by the end of Thursday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Haj and Umrah, Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah in the country’s capital Riyad in the presence of the Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosary.
The worshipers, who have travelled from across the world for the annual Haj, have completed their entry procedures without any major issues. Al-Rabiah in his speech highlighted the excellent health and high satisfaction levels among the pilgrims, which he attributed to Allah, the support of the wise leadership, and the hard work of the sector personnel.
“First of all, thanks to Allah and then ‘unlimited support’ of the wise leadership, and sincere efforts of the heroes of the sector serving the pilgrims,” the minister said.
The present Saudi government has invested heavily in infrastructures and services to ensure successful Haj rituals. This entails the Makkah Route Initiative which facilitated the arrival of over 2,50,000 pilgrims, and training covering all types of workers and group leadership, totalling to over 1,20,000.