Over 1.5m pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj

More than 1.5 million pilgrims have gathered in Saudi Arabia today to stand at Arafat, participating in the most sacred ritual of the Hajj pilgrimage.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that more than 1.5 million pilgrims from outside the Kingdom entered the country this year to perform the Hajj.

Ghassan Al-Nuwaimi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, did not provide details of how many Saudi nationals are also taking part in the religious rite. Meanwhile, Prince Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, the minister of interior and chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, inspected the readiness of the Special Emergency Forces participating in the security and operational efforts for this year’s pilgrimage.

According to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the prince was briefed by Lieutenant General Mohammed Bin Maqbool Al-Omari, commander of the Special Emergency Forces, on the forces’ efforts to manage crowd movement and organise the stoning ritual at the Jamarat site, in line with the security plan for the pilgrimage.