Deadline extension lets more perform Umrah

Saudi Arabia has extended the deadline for Umrah visa applications from Ramadan 10 to 15 in order to allow more faithful to perform the lesser pilgrimage during the holy month of Ramadan. “The Haj Ministry in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to extend the deadline to Ramadan 15,” said Deputy Haj Minister for Umrah Affairs Eissa Rawas. He said more than 4.8 million pilgrims have so far come for Umrah this year. “The number of Umrah pilgrims remaining in the Kingdom this year is 380,000, a quarter of a million less than the previous year,” he said. He said the ongoing mataf expansion project would enable the Kingdom to receive more pilgrims in the coming years as it would increase mataf’s capacity from 48,000 to 130,000 pilgrims per hour. Rawas estimated the total cost of new development projects in Makkah, Madinah and holy sites at SR128 billion. He said the new Makkah Haram expansion, which is to accommodate 1.2 million more worshippers, would cost SR40 billion. The ministry earlier extended the deadline from July 8 to 18. Saudi authorities wanted to control the number of pilgrims coming for Umrah this year as a result of ongoing expansion work at the Grand Mosque in order to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims. The decision to reduce domestic Haj pilgrims by 50 percent and international Haj pilgrims by 20 percent this year is “exceptional and temporary,” the ministry said. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has instructed member countries to cooperate with Saudi Arabia by reducing the number of their pilgrims. The OIC commended the Saudi government’s efforts to expand the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah to enhance facilities for the guests of God Arab News