AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The number of Muslims who performed the Umrah pilgrimage in 2023 reached more than 13.5 million, a record high for international pilgrims, the Saudi minister of Hajj and Umrah, said on Tuesday.
Tawfiq al-Rabiah said the number of pilgrims increased by 58 percent from the previous year, when about 8.5 million people performed the ritual, Al-Arabiya reported on Tuesday.
Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that can be done at any time of the year, unlike the Hajj, which has specific dates and is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Al-Rabiah attributed the rise in pilgrims to the facilities and services provided by the Saudi government, which has invested more than $1.3 billion in developing the infrastructure of the holy sites.
He said the projects included installing 150,000 new air-conditioning units and adding more than 14,000 restrooms and bathing areas to accommodate the visitors, especially during the hot summer months.
He made the remarks at the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition, which ran from Jan. 8 to 11 at the Jeddah Superdome.
The conference, organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in partnership with the Guests of God Service Program, a part of the Saudi Vision 2030, featured sessions and workshops on the future development of cities and holy sites and other related topics.
At the conference, the vice minister of foreign affairs, Waleed el-Khereiji, announced the launch of electronic visas, or e-visas, in December 2023 for Umrah pilgrims, which would allow them to obtain entry permits online without having to visit the embassy.
He said the e-visas would also help address health and security challenges, such as forged visas, that the ministry had been working to prevent in coordination with security authorities.
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