MAKKAH: More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the kingdom for the upcoming hajj, according to a Saudi official, surpassing the number of international visitors last year despite the war in the Middle East.
The conflict triggered by the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February saw Tehran order waves of strikes against targets in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf, causing widespread disruptions to air traffic and rising travel costs.
Major Gulf airlines in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain have worked to quickly restore much of their operational capacity after weeks of airspace closures and flight cancellations.
Despite the complications, pilgrims have continued to flock to Saudi Arabia to take part in this year's hajj.
“The total number of pilgrims arriving from abroad has reached 1,518,153,” Saleh Al-Murabba, commander of Saudi Arabia's Hajj Passport Forces, said at a news conference on Friday evening.
These numbers are expected to rise further over the next two days as pilgrims continue to arrive from abroad ahead of the formal rituals marking the start of the hajj on Monday.
Last year, the total number of Hajj pilgrims reached 1,673,320, including 1,506,576 from outside Saudi Arabia.
The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims who have the necessary means.
