Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 21 Sep 2026, 11:04 AM (Saudi time)
The Al-Mashaer Metro carried pilgrims between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah during Hajj 1447, easing road congestion and cutting tens of thousands of bus trips. The electric line forms part of a wider transport push at the holy sites.
Saudi Arabia has shortened the Umrah visa entry window from three months to 30 days for the 1448 AH season, while keeping the 90-day in-country stay unchanged. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also confirmed the season's opening and closing dates.
Bangladesh's Ministry of Religious Affairs has released its Hajj 2027 roadmap, asking pilgrims to complete registration by September 26, 2026. The schedule follows the Saudi Hajj 1448 calendar handed over in Jeddah.
A jet fuel price surge raised the cost of flying Hajj pilgrims in 2026, prompting Indonesia and Pakistan to subsidise fares while India added a surcharge. Officials are now planning for fuel-driven cost pressures in 2027 and 2028.
A Makkah exhibition is displaying six 19th-century marble tiles that once decorated the Grand Mosque, part of a Saudi effort to preserve and showcase the heritage of Islam's two holiest sites.
Saudi Arabia's Hajj 2027 roadmap has set Nigeria's NAHCON and state welfare boards a tight sequence of deadlines, with registration expected to close September 26, 2026, as states begin collecting pilgrim deposits.