Hajj pilgrim numbers surpass 2025 arrivals despite Middle East dispute
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May 23, 2026
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MAKKAH: Over 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the kingdom for the upcoming hajj, according to a Saudi official,
An illustrative image related to: Hajj pilgrim numbers surpass 2025 arrivals despite Middle East dispute, highlighting key aspects of the story. | Image source: Geo News
Hajj pilgrim numbers surpass 2025 arrivals despite Middle East dispute
MAKKAH: Over 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the kingdom for the upcoming hajj, according to a Saudi official, exceeding the number of global visitors last year despite the conflict in the Middle East.
The dispute triggered by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February saw Tehran command waves of strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf, prompting widespread air traffic disruptions and causing travel costs to surge.
Senior officer Gulf airlines in the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain have worked to quickly restore much of their operational capacity after weeks of airspace closures and flight cancellations.
Despite the complications, pilgrims have continued to flock to Saudi Arabia to participate in this year's hajj.
"The total number of pilgrims arriving from abroad has reached 1,518,153," Saleh Al-Murabba, the chief of Saudi Arabia's Hajj Passport Forces, informed a press short report late Friday.
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