A night view of the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (SPA)

Makkah – Nearly 800,000 pilgrims have arrived from abroad to perform Haj this year.
According to statistics released by the Passport Department on Thursday, 796,581 pilgrims have so far landed in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage that begins in another 10 days.
“Of them, 780,474 pilgrims arrived by air, 9,039 by land and 7,068 by sea,” said a statement from the department carried by SPA.

The government has taken extraordinary measures to ensure a safe Haj. The Grand Mosque in Makkah and its vast courtyards are packed with the faithful, many elderly women, engaged in circumambulation, prayers and supplications. The guests of God are seen reciting verses from the Holy Qur’an at all times.

Among the foreign pilgrims are 100,000 each from India and Pakistan. “Most of our pilgrims are now in Makkah,” said Indian Consul General B.S. Mubarak. “Nearly 60,000 of them have been accommodated in residential buildings in Makkah’s Aziziyah district.”
According to him, the weather has been better over the past few days. “It is pleasant during the night in Makkah,” he told Arab News from Makkah on Thursday. “Our pilgrims are doing fine and are busy with prayers and supplications.”
“Initially, however, the weather was very harsh,” he said, referring to the period from Aug. 6 to Sept. 1 when the temperatures soared considerably in Makkah and Madinah, making it unbearable for many.

Pakistani Consul General Aftab Ahmed Khokher said the Pakistani pilgrims are generally in good health. “Nearly 100,000 of the 143,368 expected have already arrived in the Kingdom,” he told Arab News.

“Our pilgrims will continue to arrive until Sept. 17,” said Syed Abu Ahmad Akif, director general of Haj in Pakistan.
Domestic pilgrims will start heading to Makkah and the holy sites on Sept. 20 for the five-day pilgrimage./ArabNews/