MAJORITY OF HAJ PILGRIMS LEAVE SAUDI ARABIA

Mecca, 5 Muharram 1437/18 October 2015 (MINA) – More than 98 percent of the pilgrims from turbulent Arab countries, specifically Syria and Yemen, have left the Kingdom for their respective homes, according to the Tawafa establishment of the pilgrims from Arab countries.

The establishment said 11,010 Syrian pilgrims out of 11,230 have left the Kingdom after arriving in the Kingdom via Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.

Waseem Buosha, head of the establishment’s department of field services to the Syrian pilgrims, said this year not many pilgrims asked for an extended stay in the Kingdom, International Islamic News Agency (IINA) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

According to the establishment, 2,937 out of 2,960 Yemeni pilgrims have left the Kingdom. The establishment also said 227,511 out of 257,382 Arab pilgrims have left for their respective countries.

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It said 29,505 Arab pilgrims are still waiting for the flight schedules and will leave the Kingdom soon according to their timetables.

The establishment said 68,189 Egyptian pilgrims out of 72,606 have left for their country. Out of 27,350 Moroccan pilgrims, 23,426 have already departed.

The Tawafa establishment for pilgrims from Turkey, Europe, America and Australia said more than 96 percent of its pilgrims have left the Kingdom.

Tariq Ankawi, chairman of the board of directors, said the establishment had 186,000 pilgrims of whom 168,00 have departed.

“There are about 18,000 remaining pilgrims who will leave for their respective homes next week,” he said. (T/Imt/R03)

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Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)