MAKKAH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has signaled that more than 2 million Hujjaj will attend Hajj this year.
The Minister of Hajj Dr. Tawfiq Al Rabiah earlier announced that the numbers of Hujjaj will return to pre-pandemic times. The Pandemic caused the number of Hujjaj to be cut to 1000 in 2020, 60000 in 2021, and 1 million in 2022.
Prior to the Pandemic, the number of Hujjaj peaked above 3 million in 2012, the highest in recorded history, In 2013 the expansion of the Grand Mosque began which led to authorities reducing the number of Hujjaj due to capacity limitations.
During the peak of the pandemic in 2020, Hajj was limited to 1000 chosen people by the Hajj Ministry, 2021 saw a similar scenario where 60,000 domestic pilgrims were allowed to participate in the annual pilgrimage. 2022 saw the end of several restrictions and the capacity increased to 1 million pilgrims.
