Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 16 Sep 2026, 10:23 AM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia has launched early planning for Hajj 2027, convening 60 government agencies in three-day sessions to review the 2026 season and strengthen operational readiness and coordination.
Saudi Arabia has restructured Hajj 2027 packages into three categories, discontinued Package D, and made accommodation, transport, and catering mandatory under a new integrated service model.
More than 232,000 Pakistanis registered for Hajj 2027 in the first two weeks of a new fully digital, mandatory registration system that allows families to apply jointly.
Saudi Arabia has opened a priority reservation window running from 30 June to 13 August 2026 for Hajj operators to secure Makkah and Madinah accommodation, alongside a new mandatory unified service package and compulsory staff training for the 2027 season.
Indonesia has launched a formal review of its 2026 Hajj operation, citing lower pilgrim costs, pre-departure Nusuk Cards and a 25 percent fall in deaths, while flagging healthcare and conditions in Mina as priorities for reform.
Astronomers say the Hajj is moving out of peak summer heat into milder spring and winter seasons for roughly 25 years, easing conditions for pilgrims.
Pilgrims pray on Mount Arafat as Hajj reaches peak dw.com
Bauchi permanent secretary dies in Saudi Arabia during 2026 Hajj Punch Newspapers
Hajj 2021: How the pilgrim routes to Makkah and Madinah evolved over the centuries Arab News