More than 1.5 million international pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the 2026 Hajj, officials have confirmed, as the annual Islamic pilgrimage proceeds amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Saudi authorities said the influx has surpassed last year’s international turnout, despite disruptions linked to ongoing regional hostilities that have affected air travel and raised transportation costs across parts of the Gulf.
The conflict, triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, escalated into retaliatory attacks that disrupted airspace operations across the region, forcing temporary flight cancellations and rerouting of international travel.
Major airlines in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain have since restored much of their operational capacity after weeks of instability.
Despite these challenges, pilgrims from across the world have continued to converge on the holy city of Makkah ahead of the formal commencement of Hajj rites scheduled for Monday.
Commander of Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Passport Forces, Saleh Al-Murabba, disclosed on Friday that the number of foreign pilgrims had already reached 1,518,153, noting that the figure was expected to increase further within the next 48 hours as last-minute arrivals continue.
Last year, Saudi Arabia recorded a total of 1,673,320 pilgrims, including 1,506,576 international participants, underscoring the steady recovery of global participation after previous disruptions in the travel sector.
The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is a compulsory religious duty for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey at least once in their lifetime.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia have since intensified crowd management, security deployment and logistical arrangements around the Grand Mosque in Makkah as the world’s largest annual religious gathering gathers momentum.
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