Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 21 Jun 2026, 1:40 AM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia will require all foreign personnel in external Hajj affairs offices to complete a compulsory training programme before receiving 2027 Hajj visas, alongside a new integrated service model and priority accommodation booking window.
The Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites has awarded a SAR2 billion contract to develop the 235,000 square metre East Hindawiyah District near the Grand Mosque as a mixed-use urban hub.
Saudi Arabia has shortened the Umrah entry visa validity from three months to one month from the date of issuance, requiring pilgrims to plan travel more carefully for the 1448 AH season.
Saudi Arabia has begun early preparations for the 2027 Hajj, unveiling integrated service packages, a three-tier package structure that ends Package D, and mandatory training for Hajj office staff.
An exhibition in Makkah is displaying a rare wooden platform once used near the Black Stone to direct pilgrims during Tawaf, highlighting early crowd-management methods at the Grand Mosque.
Saudi Arabia's Makkah Route Initiative pre-cleared 388,694 pilgrims at 17 departure points in 10 countries during Hajj 2026, with Senegal and Brunei Darussalam joining the programme for the first time.
Mahama commends National Hajj Board for successful 2026 pilgrimage Ghana News Agency
Muslim pilgrims perform Hajj rituals under intense heat as Eid al-Adha celebrations start WOWK 13 News
Hajj 1447H: 2026 NaTHNaC
GASTAT Releases Official Hajj 2026 Statistics: 1,707,301 Pilgrims - News and Statistics IndexBox
Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice Al Jazeera
Another Ghanaian pilgrim dies in Saudi Arabia during Hajj Graphic Online