Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 7 May 2026, 1:02 PM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia is enforcing fines of up to 100,000 SAR and 10-year entry bans for Hajj 2026 permit violations, with heavier penalties targeting those who facilitate illegal pilgrimages.
Saudi Arabia is deploying smart sensors linked to Nusuk cards in Mina for the first time during Hajj 2026, using real-time data to manage crowd flows and prevent dangerous bottlenecks.
The Makkah Route Initiative uses smart baggage coding to deliver pilgrim luggage directly to hotels, while Saudi staff at departure airports complete immigration before flights take off.
Saudi Arabia reversed its brief Hajj 2026 age restriction within hours. The minimum age remains 12 years old, and visas rejected under the short-lived 15-year rule will be reprocessed.
The Haramain High-Speed Railway carried 2 million passengers in Q1 2026 as Saudi Arabia scales up rail operations for Hajj season, offering pilgrims a 2-hour journey between Makkah and Madinah.
Saudi Arabia requires meningococcal ACWY vaccination, medical fitness certificates, and bars pilgrims with major organ failure or severe chronic conditions from Hajj 2026.
Hajj 2021: How the pilgrim routes to Makkah and Madinah evolved over the centuries Arab News
In Pictures: Hajj in Mecca during the COVID pandemic Al Jazeera
Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan performs Umrah at Grand Mosque in Makkah Arab News
Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan performs Umrah at Grand Mosque in Makkah Arab News
Military-trained Saudi women guards guide Umrah pilgrims in Makkah in Ramadan Arab News
Military-trained Saudi women guards guide Umrah pilgrims in Makkah in Ramadan Arab News