MADINAH: As many as 11,648 Hajj pilgrims left the Kingdom on Monday through the Madinah airport, bringing the total number to have left through the airport to 104,635 people.

Authorities at the airport implemented a specific program for the departure of foreign pilgrims, starting with setting times for them to leave their residences by bus and arrive at departures four hours before their scheduled flight times, to finish check-in procedures and prevent overcrowding.

During the post-Hajj season, Madinah received 228,916 pilgrims, who came to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque and visited religious and historical monuments in the city.

According to statistics, 145,318 pilgrims have left Madinah through various ports.

Statistics also show that the number of pilgrims staying in the city until Monday totaled 83,598 from around the world.

This year, the Kingdom allowed up to 1 million people to perform Hajj, welcoming foreign pilgrims for the first time in two years following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions that had forced the annual pilgrimage to be limited to residents of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, volunteers from Madinah municipality continue to distribute umbrellas to visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque to protect them from the sun.

During their stay, many pilgrims visited the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, located near the Prophet’s Mosque.