AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): More than 83,000 Iranians will depart for Saudi Arabia to observe the Hajj rituals this year, an official said.
Seyed Abbas Hosseini, head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, made the statement at a planning and coordination meeting attended by Iranian Hajj officials, including the representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs, Hojat-ol-Islam Abdul Fattah Navab.
More than 82,700 Iranians have already completed their registration process, he said, noting that the rest of the remaining quota is expected to be filled in a week.
Hosseini said that the process of obtaining visas for Iranian pilgrims has started.
Furthermore, the head of the medical affairs for the Hajj pilgrimage, Ali Mar’ashi, said that teams have confirmed the medical capability of 82,164 pilgrims of Hajj. He said that 1,500 individuals have been referred to medical commissions. Mar’ashi said that 143 individuals have been denied a medical confirmation to attend the Hajj.
Last year, some 85,000 Iranians took part in the Hajj pilgrimage, marking a 114% rise compared to the year before which saw restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every year, except for the years that the number of pilgrims was reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly three million Muslims from around the world gather in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the annual Hajj.
Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca that every able-bodied and financially able Muslim is obliged to undertake at least once during their lifetime.
The annual pilgrimage is regarded as one of the pillars of Islam and the largest act of mass pilgrimage in the world.
It is also a demonstration of Muslims’ unity and their submission to Allah.
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