Shawdesh Desk: The Supreme Court of the Saudi Arabia confirmed Thursday that the moon of the Arabic month of Zil-Hajj had been sighted, reports Arab News.
The report said Hajj would therefore begin on August 9, pilgrims would spend the day on the plains of Mount Arafat on August 10, and Eid Al-Azha would start on August 11.
As of Wednesday, 1,249,951 Hajj pilgrims had arrived in the Kingdom for the pilgrimage according to statistics issued by the Saudi General Directorate of Passports.
Many pilgrims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Tunisia have been arriving in Saudi Arabia as part of the Makkah Route initiative.
Launched last year with Malaysia and Indonesia as the first to try, the ‘Makkah Route’ initiative includes processing of requirements for Hajj pilgrims such as issuance of visas, ensuring compliance with health requirements, and codifying and sorting luggage at airports in the pilgrims’ own countries.