Hajj Rituals to Begin Monday, More Than 1.5 Million Foreign Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

The official rituals of Hajj will begin on Monday evening (May 25) with pilgrims staying overnight in Mina on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah. The gathering marks the start of the world’s largest annual religious congregation. Meanwhile, more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have already arrived in Saudi Arabia, surpassing last year’s total number of international Hajj pilgrims even before the main rituals begin.

At a press briefing held on Friday (May 22), Saudi Arabia’s Passport Department Hajj Commanding Officer, Saleh Al-Morabba, said that a total of 1,518,153 foreign pilgrims have so far entered the Kingdom for Hajj this year.

He said the formal Hajj activities will begin on Monday with pilgrims heading to Mina. On the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, pilgrims will gather at the plain of Arafat to perform the central pillar of Hajj.

Authorities expect a large number of additional pilgrims to arrive in Saudi Arabia over the next two days.

Saudi authorities have taken extensive security measures to ensure the safety of pilgrims during the Hajj season. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Major General Mansour bin Nasser Al-Fayez, commander of the special security and protection forces, inspected the operations of security personnel deployed at the holy sites.

After the inspection, he said all concerned agencies are fully prepared to provide security and services to the pilgrims. He also noted that there is strong coordination among the various security and service organizations involved in the Hajj operation.

He added that the coordinated efforts would help ensure that the “Guests of Allah” can perform their Hajj rituals in a safe and comfortable environment.

In 2025, a total of 1,673,320 Muslims performed Hajj, including 1,506,576 pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia. Since this year’s foreign pilgrim count has already exceeded that figure before the main rituals officially begin, officials expect this year’s Hajj to be even larger in scale than last year’s gathering.