MECCA: A total of 22,711 Malaysian haj pilgrims have safely arrived in the Holy Land so far, says Tabung Haji (TH).
Head of the Malaysian haj delegation, Mohd Hisham Harun, stated that the operation involved 74 flights which have landed at the airports in Madinah and Jeddah to date.
“Haj operations have now entered the fourth week. All plans are running smoothly thanks to the cooperation of various parties,” he told reporters, Bernama reported.
Mohd Hisham said all Malaysian pilgrims are now in Mecca.
“The pilgrims are currently preparing for the peak of the haj pilgrimage, the day of wuquf, which is expected to fall on May 26,” he said.
He said preparations at the Masya’ir area are nearly complete, and Tabung Haji management will conduct a site visit to the camps to coordinate final preparations ahead of wuquf.
The 1447H/2026M haj season officially began on April 18, with 31,600 Malaysian pilgrims departing in stages to Madinah and Makkah via 100 chartered flights.
On another matter, Mohd Hisham said TH advised pilgrims not to take up unregistered ziarah (visit to holy sites) packages outside Mecca to avoid safety risks ahead of the peak of the haj pilgrimage.
He said pilgrims should now focus on taking care of their health and preparing for wuquf in Arafah.
He said official ziarah packages are only provided after the haj season via appointed service providers.
Mohd Hisham also said that Saudi Arabia’s authorities are expected to tighten movement controls ahead of the peak haj period.
