Arranging pilgrim accommodation in rest houses is also prohibited, unless the facilities are licensed by the Civil Defense authorities and the arrangement is made with the knowledge of the Ministry of Haj.

However, pilgrims could be lodged temporarily in wedding halls in emergencies, but under the direct supervision of the Civil Defense.

It  has been a practice over the years to accommodate pilgrims in school buildings in and around Makkah due to shortage of appropriate housing in the holy city during the peak Haj season.

The committee also ordered that any domestic Haj service provider who rent buildings outside the limits of Mina should inform the ministry with all required documents, including a list of the pilgrims and their Haj permit numbers.

Arab News learned that the pilgrim accommodation committee in Makkah has issued 6,800 building licenses. It is the duty of the accommodation committee to verify the validity of the contracts between a building owner and a Haj delegation.

In another development, the Ministry of Haj ordered that the issuing and sales of coupons for sacrificial animals be limited to authorities dealing with the utilization of sacrificial meat and the Islamic Development Bank.

The Saudi Post, Al-Rajhi Bank, Al-Amoudi for Money Exchange, and Haj and Pilgrim Hadyah Charity Society in Makkah are also authorized to sell the coupons.

Anyone found selling sacrificial coupons illegally will be prosecuted, the ministry warned. An offender will have to pay back the money he received from pilgrims besides undergoing the punishment handed to him by a court.

The sacrificial coupons are issued in different colors, each color signifying the category of sacrifice.

The green color is for sacrifice in Haj, while red is for expiation and brown for Eid sacrifice.