JEDDAH, 7 January 2004 — Saudi Arabia has completed preparations for this year’s Haj. Some 2.5 million pilgrims from 160 countries are expected and Haj Minister Iyad Madani said regional problems had not affected the inflow of pilgrims from all over the world.
The minister said a number of new projects had been implemented in Mina and Arafat to improve the pilgrims’ welfare and security.
“We have also prepared a plan in cooperation with the Civil Defense Department to deal with flash floods and other dangers during Haj,” he said.
Madani said the security and comfort of pilgrims were the main focus of the government and its agencies. “We have made all preparations as best we can in order to make this annual event a success,” the Makkah-based Al-Nadwah Arabic daily quoted the minister as saying.
Domestic Pilgrims
Dr. Ahmad ibn Saleh Al-Khalaf, director of the department for domestic pilgrims, said that 78 percent of domestic pilgrims who performed Haj last year had no tents and squatted in public places.
The electronic linkage of domestic pilgrim agencies with the Haj Ministry and the Interior Ministry will greatly reduce the problem this year, he told Al-Watan daily.
Expansion of Jeddah Port
Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed will lay the foundation stone for the expansion of the Jeddah Islamic Port on Sunday. The port will offer improved facilities for the arrival and departure of pilgrims.
Prince Abdul Majeed will also receive the first group of pilgrims arriving by sea. Jeddah Port is the largest such facility in the Arabian Peninsula; it handles more than a million passengers annually, mostly Haj and Umrah pilgrims. It receives some 4,000 ships every year.
Earlier yesterday, Prince Abdul Majeed chaired a meeting of the Central Haj Committee and reviewed the Haj preparations by the Saudi Red Crescent Society, the Makkah municipality, the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, public security and the traffic department.
Haj Medals
The government has decided to award Haj medals to officials performing outstanding services to pilgrims. Prince Miteb ibn Abdullah, assistant deputy commander of the National Guard for military affairs, and a number of National Guard officers have received medals this year.
Tourism Companies
The Haj Ministry has licensed 1,100 travel and tourism companies around the world to serve nearly 230,000 pilgrims intending to perform Haj this year, according to Deputy Haj Minister Hatem Qadi.
The tawafa organization for Southeast Asian pilgrims alone has signed contracts with 174 companies to provide Haj services to 25,000 pilgrims, Al-Madinah quoted him as saying.
