1.3 million arrive in Saudi Arabia for Hajj

Friday, 2 August 2019 09:49

More than 1.3 million Hajj pilgrims have already arrived in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) says 1,245,303 arrived by air, 76,199 by land and 14,924 pilgrims by sea.

Authorities in the Kingdom declared Friday as the first day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

It is the designated month in the Islamic calendar where Muslims are expected to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

This is a pillar of Islamic faith that all physically and financially able Muslims are required to perform at least once in their lifetime.

More from International News

US military targets IS in Syria strikes

The US military said on Saturday it carried out multiple strikes in Syria targeting ISIS as part of an operation that Washington launched in December after an attack on American personnel.
Israeli fire kills three people in Gaza, tension rises

Israeli fire killed at least three Palestinians in two separate incidents across Gaza, local health authorities said, as tension rises over continued violence.
Tens of thousands protest in Minneapolis over fatal ICE shooting

Tens of thousands of people marched through Minneapolis on Saturday to decry the fatal shooting of a woman by a US immigration agent, part of more than 1,000 rallies planned nationwide over the weekend against the federal government's deportation drive.
One dead in Australian bush fires

At least one person has died in Australia's southeast where bushfires raging for days have razed buildings, cut power to thousands of homes and burned swathes of bushland, police said on Sunday.