Manama: Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has approved an increase in the number of Muslims who could perform Haj this year.
The 800,000 increase will bring the total number of pilgrims to 2.6 million.
Last year, 1,862,909 Muslims officially performed Haj in and around Makkah in western Saudi Arabia.
“The cabinet, following directives from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, approved increasing the number of pilgrims living in Saudi Arabia and abroad in accordance with the regulations,” Adel Al Turaifi, the culture and information minister, said following the meeting of the ministers on Monday.
Last week, a report said Saudi Arabia would increase the number of people who could perform Haj this year “as the holy sites are now better prepared to receive more pilgrims”.
The increase is the first since a decision in 2013 reduced Haj quota by 20 per cent for each country as extension work at the Grand Mosque in Makkah restricted the available areas and overcrowded them.
Haj is usually performed by up to three million Muslims who gather for a minimum of five days.
Saudi officials said the Grand Mosque could accommodate 48,000 pilgrims per hour before the construction work started. However, during the construction work, Al Haram mosque’s capacity was reduced to 20,000 pilgrims per hour.
A new Haj quota was also imposed on Saudis and all foreigners who lived in the kingdom, reducing their numbers by 50 per cent. The authorities banned anyone from performing Haj more than once in five years.
Every Muslim country has a Haj quota of 1,000 pilgrims per million inhabitants and the biggest contingent comes from Indonesia.
