About 1.4 million Muslim pilgrims have descended on Saudi Arabia and more are expected to arrive for the annual Hajj (pilgrimage) which starts on Aug 10.
More than half those who have arrived are from Asian countries, mainly Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Bangladesh, according to official data.
Nearly 1.2 million pilgrims have arrived by air while the rest have crossed the Saudi border on land from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan.
At least two million foreign Moslem pilgrims join more than one million Saudis every year to perform the five-day Hajj rites, which include climbing Mount Arafat, Tawaf if Kaaba (house of God) and stoning of the Devil.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest shrines, on Thursday announced that Hajj will begin on Aug 10 and Eid Al Adha (feast of sacrifice) on Aug 11.
