Indonesian haj pilgrims arrive in Saudi, first since before pandemic
- The annual religious gathering in the holy city of Mecca is one of the world’s largest, about 2.5 million people took part in 2019
- One of the five pillars of Islam, the haj pilgrimage must be undertaken by all Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives
Haj pilgrims from Indonesian arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the first worshippers since before the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted authorities to sharply restrict the annual ritual.
The Indonesian Muslims landed in the city of Medina and were set to travel south to the holy city of Mecca in the coming weeks to prepare for the haj next month, state media reported.
“Today we received the first group of this year’s pilgrims from Indonesia, and the flights will continue from Malaysia and India,” Mohammed al-Bijawi of the country’s haj Ministry told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya channel.
“Today we are happy to receive the guests of God from outside the kingdom, after a two-year interruption due to the pandemic,” he added, describing Saudi Arabia as “fully prepared” to accommodate them.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the haj must be undertaken by all Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives.
Usually one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people took part in 2019. But after the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities announced they would only let 1,000 pilgrims take part.