Hajj 2023 lures 580,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia

So far, a total of 585,932 pilgrims have travelled from around the world to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj, expected to begin on June 26 – pending an official announcement, according to a Thursday report from the official Saudi Press Agency.

Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca. According to the Hajj and Visit Committee, statistics on arriving and departing pilgrims in the nearby Medina showed 28,531 people arriving Wednesday and 471,051 departing to holy sites in Mecca on the same day.

114,830 pilgrims remained in Medina until Wednesday.

Kingdom’s Largest-ever Hajj Operation Plan

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Hajj 2023 is expected to see around 2.6 million Muslims assembling to perform the Islamic ritual.

Ahead of the pilgrimage season, Saudi Arabia revealed the largest-ever Hajj operation plan earlier this June as restrictions on the number of pilgrims got lifted.

For the millions of Muslims expected to partake in Hajj, a record-breaking 14,000 staff members and whopping 8,000 volunteers would be deployed on the ground. Over 170 hospitals and health centres have also been prepared at the holy sites this year.

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Three Things To Prepare Before Embarking On The Pilgrimage

1.    Besides Ihram clothes, pilgrims should remember to bring along certain essential religious supplies, such as a prayer mat and a portable Koran. General Muslim travel packs should contain all the essential supplies and can be bought online.

2.    Pilgrims should speak with a person who has already performed Hajj before embarking on the journey. Very often, these people have practical tips that can’t be found in regular guidebooks. An appointment with a doctor to learn the best practices might help too.

3.     At last but not the least, pilgrims must prepare sufficient supplies to deal with fluctuations and extremities in the weather. While temperatures could break records during the daytime, the drop towards the evenings is no joke as well.