MECCA: The last groups of pilgrims from the Sultanate of Oman departed to the holy land on Saturday as Haj rituals begin on Sunday.
A total of 14,000 pilgrims from the Sultanate of Oman will be performing Haj this year.
Dr Ahmed bin Ali al Kaabi, head of the delegation overseeing Haj companies, said that the Omani Haj Mission visited the premises of the Haj companies in Mecca to check for the quality of services provided to the pilgrims.
He affirmed that the members of the Omani Haj Mission are working around the clock to ensure that the pilgrims perform the Haj rituals seamlessly.
Meanwhile, the Military Haj Mission arrived in Mecca from Medina, on Saturday. The mission is accompanied by an administrative team tasked with providing services to the pilgrims.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior and leaders of the Haj security forces on Friday gave details of their security, traffic and organisational plans for this year’s Haj season, and said that all preparations have been completed.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Haj and Umrah Tawfiq al Rabiah says the cost of the pilgrimage this year has dropped 39 per cent for 1.4 million pilgrims arriving from outside the Kingdom.
Al Rabiah added that there has been a considerable upgrade in services this year as the numbers of pilgrims return to pre-Covid-19 levels.
“The cost of Haj has decreased, and Haj packages have decreased by 39 per cent for pilgrims outside the Kingdom, benefiting more than 1.4 million... and we will see better services because of the nature of competition that helps enhance quality and reduce prices,” he said last week.
More than 2 million pilgrims are expected to take part in the biggest Haj pilgrimage in years — a dramatic increase on the 926,000 from last year, when numbers were capped at one million following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pilgrims in white robes and sandals packed the ancient city, now dotted with luxury hotels and air-conditioned shopping malls, after flooding in on planes, buses and trains for the annual rites.
About 1.5 million pilgrims from abroad had already arrived by Wednesday evening, Saudi authorities have said. ONA and agencies
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