Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 11 Nov 2026, 10:04 AM (Saudi time)
The 1448 AH Umrah season has reopened after Hajj 2026, and the post-Hajj weeks offer some of the year's lowest crowds and cheapest hotel rates, though pilgrims must navigate the new 30-day visa and Nusuk booking rules.
Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs says more than 107,000 people registered for Hajj 2027 in the first five days of its sign-up drive, with the entire operation to run on a paperless digital system.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has set firm 1448 AH season deadlines, with the last Umrah visas issued on 9 March 2027, while confirming that all visa types can now be used for Umrah.
Turkish Airlines is offering round-trip Umrah fares from 799 US dollars for US-based pilgrims booking between 1 July and 16 August 2026, with open-jaw routing into Madinah and out of Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia is cutting its Hajj packages to three categories for 1448 AH, discontinuing Package D and making a bundled model of accommodation, transport and catering mandatory for all pilgrims.
The Holy Kaaba received its new Kiswa at the start of the Islamic year 1448 AH, made by Saudi craftsmen from 47 silk panels weighing about 1,415 kilograms and embroidered with gold thread.
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