Over 23,000 Indians arrive in Saudi Arabia for Haj

Jeddah - 05 Oct 2011 (IANS): Over 23,000 Indian Haj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage.

According to a release of the Consulate General of India here, a total of 23,078 pilgrims have arrived from India, of them 2,018 are in Makkah and 21,059 pilgrims are in Madina.

So far, 85 flights have come from India.

Meanwhile, two pilgrims have died. One of them had come through the Haj Committee of India and the other through a private tour operator.

The Haj to Makkah, the holiest city for Muslims, is obligatory in Islam at least once in a lifetime.

Madina, the second most sacred city for Muslims, is the burial place of Prophet Mohammad and also has the three oldest mosques.