26 May 2012
According to Haj Ministry records, 257,000 of the pilgrims were from Iran, 235,000 from Turkey, 171,000 from Pakistan and 132,000 from Indonesia.
"This is a large number compared to previous years," said a spokesman for the ministry.
Officials involved in the Umrah business said that around 8 million Umrah pilgrims are expected to visit the Kingdom this year; the bulk will visit in the months of Ramadan and Shabaan.
Meanwhile, the Department of Umrah Affairs at the Haj Ministry warned all Umrah companies against signing contracts with foreign Umrah agencies after June 1. "This is the standard practice every year. The contracts should be signed long before the advent of the pilgrimage season," the ministry said in a circular.
The ministry last year prevented 20 of the 55 Umrah companies from operating due to various violations.
Workers from the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah also completed on Sunday a training program on how to deal with pilgrims and visitors. Director of PR in the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Mansouri said that about 25 employees attended the training session titled "Promoting Skills of Dealing with Pilgrims" at the Public Administration Institute in Jeddah.
According to Haj Ministry records, 257,000 of the pilgrims were from Iran, 235,000 from Turkey, 171,000 from Pakistan and 132,000 from Indonesia.
"This is a large number compared to previous years," said a spokesman for the ministry.
Officials involved in the Umrah business said that around 8 million Umrah pilgrims are expected to visit the Kingdom this year; the bulk will visit in the months of Ramadan and Shabaan.
Meanwhile, the Department of Umrah Affairs at the Haj Ministry warned all Umrah companies against signing contracts with foreign Umrah agencies after June 1. "This is the standard practice every year. The contracts should be signed long before the advent of the pilgrimage season," the ministry said in a circular.
The ministry last year prevented 20 of the 55 Umrah companies from operating due to various violations.
Workers from the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah also completed on Sunday a training program on how to deal with pilgrims and visitors. Director of PR in the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Mansouri said that about 25 employees attended the training session titled "Promoting Skills of Dealing with Pilgrims" at the Public Administration Institute in Jeddah.
© Arab News 2012
