Saudi Arabia has clarified its new policy, introducing travel restrictions for Hajj pilgrims — confining their movements exclusively to Jeddah, Medina, and Mecca. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that individuals visiting Saudi Arabia on a Hajj visa are prohibited from traveling outside these three cities. The visa is designed solely for pilgrimage purposes and does not permit holders to engage in work, seek residency, or travel beyond Jeddah, Medina, and Mecca. Hajj packages for 2024 to be cheaper Violations of these restrictions could result in severe penalties, including deportation and a potential ban on future Hajj participation, according to a Gulf News report. Furthermore, the Ministry clarified that all international visitors, except those from GCC countries who do not require a Hajj permit, must secure a Hajj visa through the official channels. To streamline the application process, the Ministry's website now facilitates electronic registration for the Hajj visa via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' visa platform. Applicants are required to log in, select the required service, and follow detailed instructions for document submission. Bangladeshis can perform Umrah with transit visa: Saudi Hajj Minister The deadline for Hajj visa applications is set for the 7th of Dhu Al Hijjah, or until the designated quota of pilgrims is met. Processing typically takes up to three working days, and applicants are urged to apply early to adhere to all regulatory requirements.

After about a year and a half of not receiving overseas worshippers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia will gradually begin receiving Umrah pilgrimage requests from abroad for vaccinated pilgrims starting Monday. With a capacity that would rise to 2 million pilgrims from 60,000 pilgrims per month, Islam's two holiest sites Mecca and Medina will start welcoming visitors from abroad to their mosques while maintaining Covid-19 precautionary measures, Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday. Domestic and overseas pilgrims will have to submit authorised Covid-19 vaccination certificates along with their Umrah request, an official of the Hajj and Umrah ministry said. Vaccinated pilgrims from countries, which are on Saudi Arabia's entry-ban list, will have to undergo institutional quarantine upon arrival, the official added. On July 25, Saudi Arabia said it would allow pilgrims living outside the country to undertake the Umrah pilgrimage starting August 10. Read: International Umrah pilgrimage resumes on August 10 However, Umrah for Saudi citizens and residents in the Kingdom restarted that day. In early July, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stopped receiving applications for Umrah to prepare for Hajj, which began on the 17th of the month. As Saudi Arabia announced the resumption of Umrah service for pilgrims worldwide from 1st Muharram 1443 after the end of the Hajj season, all countries were allowed to send direct flights except for nine. Pilgrims from India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Lebanon would need to undergo a quarantine of 14 days in a third country before arriving in the Kingdom, the authorities said. Read: Pilgrims return to Mecca for ‘umrah’ after 7 months Also, it was made mandatory to be vaccinated against Covid-19 with complete doses of either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or J&J; complete doses of China's vaccines with a booster shot of either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or J&J. Umrah is a voluntary Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina undertaken any time of the year. In February last year, it was suspended over fears of the Covid-19 outbreak. However, the Kingdom reopened Muslim holy sites for Umrah after a six-month pause in October same year for domestic worshippers.

Saudi Arabia will allow pilgrims living outside the country to undertake the Umrah pilgrimage, starting August 10.  The country Sunday announced the resumption of Umrah service for pilgrims worldwide from 1st Muharram 1443 after the end of the Hajj season, according to state press agency SPA. Meanwhile, Umrah for Saudi citizens and residents in the Kingdom restarted today. Read: With pandemic in mind, pared-back hajj in Mecca for 2nd year In early July, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stopped receiving applications for Umrah to prepare for Hajj, which began on the 17th of the month. However, from Sunday, Umrah agencies have been allowed to issue visas. All countries have been allowed to send direct flights except for nine. Pilgrims from India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Lebanon will need to undergo a quarantine of 14 days in a third country before arriving in the Kingdom. Read: Grand Mosque in Macca receives 1st batch of pilgrims as Hajj begins Also, it has been made mandatory to be vaccinated against Covid-19 with complete doses of either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or J&J; complete doses of China's vaccines with a booster shot of either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or J&J. Umrah is a voluntary Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina undertaken any time of the year. In February last year, it was suspended over fears of the Covid-19 outbreak. However, the Kingdom reopened Muslim holy sites for Umrah after a six-month pause in October same year. Read Pilgrims return to Mecca for ‘umrah’ after 7 months

Tens of thousands of vaccinated Muslim pilgrims circled Islam’s holiest site in Mecca on Sunday, but remained socially distanced and wore masks as the coronavirus takes its toll on the hajj for a second year running. The hajj pilgrimage, which once drew some 2.5 million Muslims from all walks of life from across the globe, is now almost unrecognizable. It is being scaled back for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pared-down hajj prevents Muslims from outside Saudi Arabia from fulfilling an Islamic obligation and causes financial losses to Saudi Arabia which in pre-pandemic years took in billions of dollars as the custodian of the holy sites. The Islamic pilgrimage lasts about five days, but traditionally Muslims begin arriving in Mecca weeks ahead of time. The hajj concludes with the Eid al-Adha celebration, marked by the distribution of meat to the poor around the world. Read:Grand Mosque in Macca receives 1st batch of pilgrims as Hajj begins This year, 60,000 vaccinated Saudi citizens or residents of Saudi Arabia have been allowed to perform the hajj due to continued concerns around the spread of the coronavirus. L ast year’s largely symbolic hajj saw fewer than 1,000 people from within the kingdom taking part. It’s unclear when Saudi Arabia will play host again to millions of Muslims. The kingdom has no clear standard for a vaccine passport, vaccination rates are uneven in different countries and new variants of the virus are threatening the progress already made in some nations. The kingdom’s Al Saud rulers have staked their legitimacy in large part on their custodianship of hajj sites, giving them a unique and powerful platform among Muslims around the world. The kingdom has gone to great lengths to ensure the annual hajj continues uninterrupted, despite changes caused by the pandemic. Robots have been deployed to spray disinfectant around the cube-shaped Kaaba’s busiest walkways. The Kaaba is where the hajj pilgrimage begins and ends for most. Saudi Arabia is also testing a smart bracelet this year in collaboration with the government’s artificial intelligence authority. The touchscreen bracelet resembles the Apple Watch and includes information on the hajj, a pilgrim’s oxygen levels and vaccine data and has an emergency feature to call for help. Read: 2021 Hajj: Registrations limited to Saudi citizens, residents International media outlets already present in the kingdom were permitted to cover the hajj from Mecca this year, but others were not granted permission to fly in as had been customary before the pandemic. Cleaners are sanitizing the vast white marble spaces of the Grand Mosque that houses the Kaaba several times a day. “We are sanitizing the floor and using disinfection liquids while cleaning it two or three times during (each) shift,” said Olis Gul, a cleaner who said he has been working in Mecca for 20 years. The hajj is one of Islam’s most important requirements to be performed once in a lifetime. It follows a route the Prophet Muhammad walked nearly 1,400 years ago and is believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible. The hajj is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and bring about greater unity among Muslims. The communal feeling of more than 2 million people from around the world — Shiite, Sunni and other Muslim sects — praying together, eating together and repenting together has long been part of what makes hajj both a challenging and a transformative experience. There are questions around whether the hajj will be able to again draw such large numbers of faithful, with male pilgrims forming a sea of white in white terrycloth garments worn to symbolize the equality of mankind before God and women forgoing makeup and perfume to focus inwardly. Read:Hajj pre-registration to continue throughout this year Like last year, pilgrims will be drinking water from the holy Zamzam well in plastic bottles. They were given umrbellas to shield them from the sun. They have to carry their own prayer rugs and follow a strict schedule via a mobile app that informs them when they can be in certain areas to avoid crowding. “I hope this is a successful hajj season,” said Egyptian pilgrim Aly Aboulnaga, a university lecturer in Saudi Arabia. “We ask God to accept everyone’s hajj and for the area to be open to greater numbers of pilgrims and for a return to an even better situation than before.” Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the kingdom was working to vastly expand Mecca’s ability to host pilgrims with a $60-billion Grand Mosque expansion. On the mosque’s south side stands the 1,972-foot (600-meter) clock-tower skyscraper, part of a completed seven-tower complex that was built to accommodate wealthier pilgrims. The kingdom, with a population of more than 30 million, has reported over half a million cases of the coronavirus, including more than 8,000 deaths. It has administered nearly 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, according to the World Health Organization.

Mecca, Aug 10 (AP/UNB) — More than 2 million pilgrims were gathered in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Friday to perform initial rites of the hajj, an Islamic pilgrimage that takes the faithful along a path traversed by the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago.