Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 6 May 2026, 2:44 AM (Saudi time)
Saudi Tourism Minister inspects Hajj 2026 facilities as 566,000 new beds are added to Makkah through a new temporary licensing system. New hospitality rules require all providers to obtain official approval.
A guide to Zamzam water for Hajj 2026: its 4,000-year history from Hajar's desperate search, where to find it in the Haram, how to take it home (5L bottle per pilgrim), the Sunnah of drinking it, and its geological uniqueness.
Saudi Arabia deploys the Baseer AI platform and real-time colour-coded crowd tracking at the Grand Mosque for Hajj 2026, part of 150+ initiatives across 60 languages to manage millions of pilgrims safely.
Saudi authorities completed 47 hours of Ka'bah maintenance and raised the Kiswa on April 18 with a team of 34 craftsmen, alongside Maqam Ibrahim beautification and 230+ cameras at Miqat stations.
Saudi authorities have completed 4,700 man-hours of maintenance on the Ka'bah and Maqam Ibrahim, including marble restoration and expansion joint replacement, ahead of Hajj 2026.
Saudi Arabia has revealed plans for a new Makkah international airport, a metro system with completed feasibility studies, an AI crowd management programme, and integrated Saudia-Saudi Railways ticketing as part of a large-scale infrastructure overhaul of the Holy City.
Last year, 1,300 pilgrims died at Mecca. Here's why this year was different Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Makkah exhibition welcomes pilgrims among its visitors Arab News
Video: From Denver to Mecca: A CNN producer’s personal pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site CNN
The decades-old intrigue over an Indian guest house in Mecca BBC
The route to Makkah: Pilgrim’s journey from home to the holy city Arab News
Muslims from around the world begin annual pilgrimage to Mecca africanews.com