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Hajj pilgrims from outside Saudi reach 1,838,339

Hajj pilgrims from outside Saudi reach 1,838,339 (7 Aug 2019) Saudi authorities said on Wednesday more than  a million pilgrims have visisted the holy site of Kaaba during the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

In a press conference held in Jeddah, the head of the Saudi Passports directorate, General Suleiman bin Abdul Azizi Al-Yehya said the number of foreign pilgrims who had arrived in the kingdom to perform the pilgrimage had reached 1,838,339 - 969,273 male and 868,613 female.

In recent years the Saudi government has spent billions of dollars to improve the safety of the pilgrimage, particularly in Mina where some of the deadliest incidents have occurred, including the 2015 stampede tragedy in which 2,400 pilgrims were killed.

Thousands of surveillance cameras were set up this year alongside  thousands of police and troops.

All able-bodied Muslims are required to perform the Hajj once in their lifetime, with many saving for years to make the journey.

The annual pilgrimage draws nearly two million Muslims from around the world to Mecca and sites around it to perform a series of ancient rites and prayers, meant to cleanse the soul of past sins and bring people closer to Allah.



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