Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 18 Jun 2026, 7:06 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.
At the heart of Hajj stands the Kaaba, draped in 670kg of silk and embroidered with 200kg of gold and silver thread.
Photos of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca The Killeen Daily Herald
Photos of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca Idaho Press
Live: Hajj 2026/1447 IslamiCity
Muslims begin the annual Hajj in sweltering heat against a backdrop of war concerns The Cumberland Times-News
War risks, 48°C heat, Ebola fears: What makes Hajj 2026 so complicated and why Saudi Arabia is on high... Moneycontrol.com