Pilgrims flock to Upper Arafat to perform the Great Hajj
At sunrise on Tuesday, the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah of the year 1447 AH, the pilgrims of the Holy House of God began to head to Upper Arafat to perform the greatest pillar of the pilgrimage, which is to stand on Mount Arafat.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said: "With the dawn of this morning, Tuesday, the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah of the year 1447 AH, the pilgrims of the Holy House of God began to head to the pure Upper Arafat, filled with feelings of reverence and serenity, and overwhelmed with divine providence, as they prayed and answered, asking God Almighty to grant them pardon, forgiveness, mercy and deliverance from the fire."
"The convoys of pilgrims accompanied them during their journey to Arafat's Mosque were closely followed up by security from various sectors, as security personnel deployed on vehicle roads and pedestrian paths to organize crowds in accordance with the approved escalation and evacuation plans, while ensuring the guidance of pilgrims and ensuring their safety," she said.
She pointed out that "in light of the full readiness of all government sectors concerned with serving the pilgrims, all medical, ambulance and catering services have been provided throughout the mosque, to meet the needs of pilgrims who flocked from all parts of the world to perform the fifth pillar of Islam, praising God Almighty for what he has guided them to."
"In the holy sites, it observed the flow of traffic during the movement of pilgrims from Mina to Arafat," the SPA said.
"Today, pilgrims perform the Zuhr and Asr prayers in conjunction with one call to prayer and two iqama prayers in the Nimra Mosque, following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who said: 'Take away your rites from me'."
She pointed out that "with the sunset of this day, the masses of pilgrims begin their journey to Muzdalifah, where they perform the Maghrib and Isha prayers, and spend the night until the dawn of tomorrow, the tenth of Dhu al-Hijjah, in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in which he prayed Fajr."
24500 pilgrims and needy people from Syria
The number of Syrian pilgrims for the current Hajj season 1447 AH / 2026 AD reached about 24,500 pilgrims and pilgrims, after the Saudi authorities agreed to grant Syria an additional increase of 2,000 visas before the start of the delegation of missions, to increase the official quota from 22,500 to 24,500 pilgrims thanks to the direct coordination between the Syrian Ministry of Awqaf and the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
According to official statistical data, the number of registered citizens in the electronic registration system and the lottery reached 62,103 citizens from inside and outside Syria, where the largest percentage was allocated to the elderly with 65%, equivalent to 13,395 pilgrims, while the general lottery for the younger groups included 7,344 pilgrims, representing 35% of the total number.
The arrival of Syrian pilgrims to the Holy Land was completed by direct flights from Damascus and Aleppo international airports, in addition to groups of Syrians living abroad arriving through Istanbul Airport.
Within the framework of the logistical preparations, the Syrian Hajj Mission announced the leasing of 22 residential towers in Makkah and 6 towers in Madinah to accommodate the full numerical strength of the mission within the economic Hajj program, in order to ensure the comfort of pilgrims and the smooth services provided to them before the start of the rituals.
Saudi Arabia: More than 1.5 million pilgrims from outside the Kingdom
The Hajj season began on Monday, the eighth of Dhu al-Hijjah, May 25, and the rituals will last for 6 days, including standing in Arafah on Tuesday, staying overnight in Muzdalifah, throwing stones, performing the Tawaf al-Ifadah and the Farewell Tawaf.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia announced the arrival of more than 1.5 million pilgrims from outside the Kingdom, according to the commander of the Hajj Passport Forces, Maj. Gen. Saleh al-Murabba, at a press conference.
In the last Hajj season 2025, the number of pilgrims reached one million and 673 thousand and 230 pilgrims from inside and outside the Kingdom, compared to more than one million and 833 thousand pilgrims in the 2024 season, according to data from the Saudi Statistics Authority.