Saudi Arabia urges pilgrims to perform environment-friendly Hajj

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a country in Western Asia, has been preparing to help more than 2 million pilgrims for this year’s Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to the holiest city of Mecca.

In order to safeguard the environment and the general public's health in and around Islam’s holiest city of Mecca, where the Hajj is performed by Muslims, the Ministry of Environment of Saudi Arabia has urged pilgrims to adopt environmentally friendly behaviours while carrying out the rituals during this year’s Hajj rites.

The Ministry of Environment of the Kingdom has recommended pilgrims to make certain preparations before beginning their spiritual trip to perform Hajj. The ministry has recommended pilgrims to wear an ihram or white seamless robe made of recyclable materials, carrying reusable water bottles and sporting high-quality and long lasting shoes. These are some of the environmentally responsible suggestions.

Reversing past restrictions brought on by the global pandemic, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has declared that there will be no restrictions on the numbers and ages of pilgrims from all over the world during this year's Hajj season.

The General Directorate of Passports announced on Saturday that the Kingdom received 1,626,500 pilgrims via various entry ports until the end of Friday. Muslims arrived through air, land, and sea ports in the country to take part in this year’s Hajj rites.

Hajj began on Sunday in Saudi Arabia. The "tawaf" or circumambulation of the Kaaba, the enormous cube covered in black linen and embellished with gold, which millions of Muslims pray toward every day, marked the start of the Hajj on Sunday. 

Prior to the Hajj's culmination at Mount Arafat, pilgrims will begin travelling to Mina on Sunday night, which is located approximately five kilometres from the Grand Mosque or Masjid al-Haram in Mecca in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia.