150,000 Iraqi pilgrims perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia
Aerial view of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Omer Arslan
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – More than 150,000 pilgrims from Iraq conducted Umrah in Saudi Arabia among the approximately 2 million pilgrims. Iraq now ranks as the fourth-most populated nation to perform Umrah.
Ties between Iraq and Saudi Arabia have improved significantly. For the first time since 1990, Iraqis are now permitted to enter Saudi Arabia through border crossings as of September 2022.
Iraqi and Saudi authorities announced that the Jadidat Arar port in northern Saudi Arabia would be developed to serve as a regional economic and logistical gateway as well as to accommodate the yearly pilgrimage of Iraqis to Saudi Arabia. A computerized system has been upgraded to make it easier for Iraqis to enter Saudi Arabia and receive customs clearance services.
According to Saudi Gazette, since the start of the Umrah season on Muharram 1, 1444 (July 30), the air, land, and seaports in the Kingdom have registered the arrival of 1,964,964 pilgrims from outside the Kingdom. There were 551,410 Indonesian Umrah pilgrims who entered the Kingdom, followed by 370,083 from Pakistan and 230,794 from India.