Riyadh
\nSaudi Arabia has cleared hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Makkah ahead of the hajj days to ensure crowd management.
\nThe hajj, which begins on Friday involves a series of rituals. More than 1.3 million registered pilgrims have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj.
\nSaudi Arabia said that security forces had cleared hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Makkah ahead of the hajj which begins next week.
\nCrowd management is a major concern during the annual pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam which drew more than 1.8 million Muslims last year, according to official figures.
\nThose turned away in recent days from the holy city, home to the Grand Mosque, include 153,998 foreigners who travelled from abroad on tourist visas rather than the required hajj visas, the official Saudi Press Agency said.
\nIn addition, Saudi authorities have rounded up 171,587 others who are based in Saudi Arabia but are not residents of Makkah and did not have hajj permits, SPA said.
\nThe hajj, which begins on June 14, must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims with the means.
\nIt involves a series of rituals completed over at least four days in Mecca and its surroundings in the west of Saudi Arabia.
\nMany seek to complete the rites through unofficial channels as obtaining the formal permits and travel packages can be extremely costly, with limited quotas for pilgrims from each country.
\nSaudi Arabia is home to the holiest shrines in Islam at Makkah and Madina, and the Gulf kingdom makes billions of dollars each year from the hajj and from pilgrimages, known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.
\nThe pilgrimages are also a source of prestige for the Saudi monarch whose official title includes \u201cCustodian of the Two Holy Mosques\u201d in Makkah and Madina.
\nLarge crowds have proved hazardous in the past during the hajj, most recently in 2015 when a stampede during the \u201cstoning the devil\u201d ritual in Mina, near Makkah, killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest-ever hajj disaster.
\nFears of a repeat have spurred Saudi officials to crack down on off-the-books pilgrims.
\nMore than 1.3 million registered pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj as of Saturday, Makkah regional authorities said on X.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Riyadh Saudi Arabia has cleared hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Makkah ahead of the hajj days to ensure crowd management. The hajj, which begins on Friday involves a series of rituals. More than 1.3 million registered pilgrims have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj. Saudi Arabia said that security forces […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":411960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-411929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n