Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 17 Jun 2026, 12:30 PM (Saudi time)
The sun aligned almost perfectly over the Kaaba on May 28, 2026, letting Muslims worldwide verify the Qibla. The overlap with Eid al-Adha happens only once every 33 years.
Saudi Arabia is opening regulated investment access to Makkah and Madinah, drawing global capital into a hospitality boom aimed at hosting 30 million Umrah pilgrims a year by 2030.
Saudi Arabia's Makkah Route Initiative concluded its 1447 AH operations after pre-clearing 388,694 pilgrims on 1,227 flights from 17 ports across 10 countries, with Senegal and Brunei joining for the first time.
The Haj Committee of India has begun the preliminary phase for Hajj 2027, advising pilgrims to ready passports valid until at least December 31, 2027 after receiving Saudi preparation documents.
Saudi Arabia has discontinued the budget Package D and restructured Hajj 2027 services into three regulated tiers, introducing a mandatory integrated package and compulsory training for Hajj personnel.
Saudi Arabia deployed its largest-ever cooling and shading infrastructure for the 1447 Hajj, one of the last summer pilgrimages before the calendar shifts the season into cooler months from 2027.
NAHCON to begin return airlift of pilgrims June 5 — Official Punch Newspapers
Muslim faithful leave Mecca after hajj Punch Newspapers
Saudi Arabia records 1.7mln pilgrims for Haj 2026 ZAWYA
Saudi Arabia Hajj Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Saudi Arabia Hajj Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Hajj Pilgrims after Stoning of the Devil Ritual in Mina Tempo.co English