Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 23 Sep 2026, 10:20 AM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia has eliminated the budget Package D for Hajj 2027 and consolidated offerings into three regulated tiers, making integrated accommodation, transport, and catering contracts mandatory for all operators.
Saudi Arabia Railways carried more than two million passengers on the fully electric Al-Mashaaer Metro between Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat during Hajj 1447 AH, replacing some 50,000 bus trips.
The Holy Kaaba was draped in a new kiswa on June 16 to mark the Hijri year 1448 AH, the work of about 150 craftsmen over 11 months using 47 pieces of black silk and gold-plated silver thread.
Bangladesh has released its Hajj 2027 roadmap, asking prospective pilgrims to register by September 26, 2026, and laying out a timeline that runs from a bilateral agreement in November to the pilgrimage itself in May 2027.
Authorities in Madinah have expanded digital services at the Prophet's Mosque, adding real-time prayer-area monitoring, smart indoor maps and live sermon translation, while telecom operator stc lifted network capacity by 18 percent for the peak season.
Saudi authorities deployed more than 400 cooling and misting stations, heat-reflective pavement, shaded canopies, and the Mashaer metro to protect pilgrims from extreme heat during the 1447 Hajj.
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