Saudi Arabia welcomed its first batch of hajj pilgrims since the coronavirus pandemic on Saturday, prompting authorities to sharply restrict the annual ritual.
A group from Indonesia, which landed in the city of Medina, will travel to the holy city of Mecca in the coming weeks to prepare for the hajj next month, according to media reports.
"Today we received the first group of this year's pilgrims from Indonesia, and the flights will continue from Malaysia and India," Mohammed Al Bijawi of the country's Hajj Ministry told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya channel.
"We are happy to receive the guests of God from outside the kingdom, after a two-year interruption due to the pandemic," he added, describing Saudi Arabia as "fully prepared" to accommodate them.
In 2019, about 2.5 million people participated in the religious ritual but after the pandemic outbreak in 2020, Saudi authorities announced they would only let 1,000 pilgrims take part.
The following year, they increased the total to 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents chosen through a lottery.
In April, the Kingdom stated that it would permit only one million Muslims from inside and outside the country to participate in this year's hajj, which will take place in July.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan performed Umrah rituals, amid tight security, upon his arrival at the Grand Mosque.
Erdoğan was received by a number of officials, including a delegation from the General Presidency for the affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
It is worth noting that the hajj consists of a series of religious rites that are completed over five days in Islam's holiest city, Mecca, and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.
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