Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 18 Jun 2026, 2:20 AM (Saudi time)
The Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites has awarded six development sites worth an estimated SAR 13.3 billion, including two major Hindawiyah projects near the Grand Mosque.
Indonesia has begun planning its 2027 and 2028 Hajj seasons early, with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah flagging rising aviation fuel prices as a key threat to pilgrim costs.
Saudi Arabia has made staff training a prerequisite for Hajj visas and permits in 2027, alongside a mandatory integrated service model and a defined contracting timetable for providers.
Saudi and national health authorities have restated that the quadrivalent meningitis vaccine and seasonal flu vaccine are mandatory for Hajj 1448 AH pilgrims, alongside medical fitness declarations.
The Prophet's Mosque Library in Madinah has opened to post-Hajj pilgrims, offering access to around 4,000 original manuscripts, 250 rare handwritten Qur'ans and extensive digitized collections.
The Al Madinah Region Development Authority has equipped over 19,000 square meters of pedestrian walkways and launched a bilingual spatial guidance system to improve mobility for pilgrims around the Prophet's Mosque.
Licensable picture: Pilgrims perform umrah around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque ahead of the start of hajj in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia reutersconnect.com
How Saudi Arabia is shielding pilgrims from extreme Hajj heat Gulf News
For third year in a row, Israel blocks Hajj pilgrimage for Gaza Muslims Al Jazeera
2026 Hajj: Nigerian pilgrims move to Makkah ahead Arafat day Tribune Online
War has not deterred Asian Muslims from the hajj The Economist
Pilgrims from the West flock to hajj in Mecca despite uncertainty in war with Iran The Times of Israel