Hajj 2024: Mecca Making Preparations as Dozens of Buildings Licensed to House Pilgrims
The Hajj housing committee in Mecca said it would continue to receive applications for more buildings until next month, as part of the early preparations for the annual pilgrimage, Saudi media outlets reported.
The committee said the licensed buildings had a total of 26,710 rooms that could house 111,697 pilgrims. It expected the number of buildings for pilgrims in Mecca to exceed 5,000 eventually.
The committee also urged the owners of the buildings who wanted to obtain licenses to contact the accredited engineering offices that would check their compliance with the related terms.
Hajj is an obligatory Islamic duty that requires Muslims to perform at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able. It is one of the pillars of Islam and involves a series of rituals in and around Mecca, the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Nearly 2 million pilgrims from around the world performed Hajj this year, marking the return of their numbers to pre-pandemic levels.
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Saudi Arabia has recently announced the rules for the upcoming Hajj season, which is due to start in June, and stressed the importance of early preparations.
According to the rules, no specific places would be allocated for different countries at the holy sites in the new season, Saudi Minister of Hajj Tawfiq Al Rabiah said.
He explained that the places would be assigned based on the contracts that each country would finalize with the Saudi authorities.
"From now on, each country will start getting ready for the next year's Hajj to guarantee the delivery of high-quality services to the Guests of Allah (pilgrims)," Al Rabiah said.
He added that the country that concluded the contracts early would have the priority in choosing the appropriate places at the holy sites.
The minister said that the issuance of Hajj visas would start on March 1 and end on April 29, according to the Islamic calendar. He said that the arrival of Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia would begin on May 9.
The new mechanism is said to be aimed at facilitating the preparations for Hajj and ensuring the safety and comfort of the pilgrims.
Source: Agencies
