Saudi Arabia lifts restrictions on numbers of Hajj pilgrims

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Saudi Arabia said Monday it will welcome pilgrims to perform the Hajj pilgrimage with the same numbers before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The number of pilgrims will return to what it was before the pandemic, without any age limit," Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq al-Rabiah said in statements in Riyadh.

The minister said Hajj missions from around the world will be allowed to agree with any authorized company to provide services in Saudi Arabia.

“Together with our partners, we launched NUSK platform to facilitate procedures and enrich the experience of the pilgrims,” he added.

The Hajj, the pilgrimage to Islam's holiest site Kaaba in Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims are required to perform it at least once in their life if they have the means to do so.

Saudi Arabia held downsized Hajj in the last three years due to restrictions imposed to stem the outbreak of COVID-19.