Saudi Arabia welcomes 1st foreign hajj pilgrims since pandemic

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AA) – The first batch of Hajj pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

A group of 358 pilgrims from Indonesia arrived at Prince Mohamed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the holy city of Madinah, the state news agency SPA reported.

Saudi Arabia has limited the Hajj to domestic pilgrims for the past two years due to the pandemic. A total of 60,000 pilgrims performed Hajj last year compared to around 2.5 million in 2019.

The pilgrimage to Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba in the city of Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam.​​​​​​​

A Muslim is required to perform the Hajj at least once if they have the means.

*Writing by Bassel Barakat