Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 18 May 2026, 5:56 PM (Saudi time)
Saudi Tourism Minister inspects Hajj 2026 facilities as 566,000 new beds are added to Makkah through a new temporary licensing system. New hospitality rules require all providers to obtain official approval.
A comprehensive accessibility guide for elderly and disabled pilgrims performing Hajj 2026: free wheelchairs, electric carts, proxy Hajj rulings, over-65 requirements, and practical tips for limited mobility.
A guide to Zamzam water for Hajj 2026: its 4,000-year history from Hajar's desperate search, where to find it in the Haram, how to take it home (5L bottle per pilgrim), the Sunnah of drinking it, and its geological uniqueness.
Over 50,000 international pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2026 from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with the arrival phase continuing through May 21 across 12,000+ flights.
Iraqi pilgrims enter Saudi Arabia overland via Jadidat Arar, tracing the path of the ancient Darb Zubaydah - a 1,400 km Hajj route built over 1,000 years ago under Abbasid patronage and now a UNESCO tentative World Heritage Site.
A spiritual preparation guide for Hajj 2026 with four weeks to go: settle debts, write your will, increase worship, learn the rituals, purify your intention, and the final night dua before departure.
Hajj 2021: How the pilgrim routes to Makkah and Madinah evolved over the centuries Arab News
Hajj 2021: How the pilgrim routes to Makkah and Madinah evolved over the centuries Arab News
In Pictures: Hajj in Mecca during the COVID pandemic Al Jazeera
Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan performs Umrah at Grand Mosque in Makkah Arab News
Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan performs Umrah at Grand Mosque in Makkah Arab News
Military-trained Saudi women guards guide Umrah pilgrims in Makkah in Ramadan Arab News