Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 25 Jun 2026, 8:33 PM (Saudi time)
Pakistan's federal cabinet has approved a new private Hajj policy for 2027 to 2030 that replaces the quota system with performance-based grading, a digital booking portal and strict controls on how pilgrims' money is handled.
Wego and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah have launched a digital platform that combines visa requests, hotel booking and ground services, offering pilgrims three tiers of support for the 1448 AH season.
An exhibition in Makkah is displaying six marble tiles from 1881 CE that once adorned the Grand Mosque, part of a wider effort to preserve the architectural heritage of Islam's holiest sites.
Saudi Arabia will open priority accommodation reservations for Hajj 2027 to service providers from June 30 to August 13, 2026, as part of an early shift to integrated, regulated service packages.
Saudi authorities have set fixed daily entry times for Hijr Ismail at the Grand Mosque, with women admitted in the early morning and men later in the day to ease crowding near the Ka'bah.
King Salman has approved hosting 1,000 Umrah pilgrims from around the world at his own expense for the 1448 season, beginning with 250 guests from 16 Asian countries.