Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 15 May 2026, 6:24 PM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia has imposed fines of up to SAR 100,000 for facilitating unauthorised Hajj and up to SAR 20,000 for pilgrims performing Hajj without a permit, alongside 10-year re-entry bans for violators.
Today’s Hajj pilgrimage is limited to Mecca and Medina. It used to include Palestine, too. Mondoweiss
Hajj Begins With Sweeping New Changes Time Magazine
What is Hajj and why is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca important to Muslims? NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Saudi Arabia seeks to prevent heat deaths as Hajj pilgrimage begins BBC
Hajj by horseback: Modern-day caravan makes seven-month pilgrimage from Andalusia to Makkah The National
Hajj explained: A journey through the key rites of the Muslim pilgrimage Al Jazeera