The final group of hajj pilgrims who attended the pilgrimage for the year 1443, have returned home.
A quota was granted by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for 453 Maldivian pilgrims this year, with only Maldives Hajj Corporation being granted the opportunity to send pilgrims for the hajj pilgrimage this year.
The last group of 117 pilgrims touched down at Velana International Airport on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs revealed that the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) had dedicated a special area for the pilgrims at the airport, where additional staff members were stationed to ensure that the pilgrims and their families received adequate services.
The first group of 157 pilgrims had returned on July 23, followed by the second group of 175 pilgrims who arrived in the Maldives on July 23, at around 10:28am.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih appointed Islamic Minister Dr. Ahmed Zahir as the Amir al-Hajj of the Maldives’ pilgrims, on May 31. The minister’s spouse also joined the pilgrimage this year.
The Maldivian first couple also took part in this year’s hajj pilgrimage, having departed to Mecca, Saudi Arabia on July 4. During their trip the president and First Lady Fazna Ahmed visited the tents in Mina to meet the Maldivian pilgrims, making it the first time a Maldivian president visited the tents in Mina, in recent history.
Hajj day for the year 1443 fell on June 8.
In late May, the Maldives Hajj Corporation opened applications for 100 out of the 453 spots. The remaining spots were reserved for applicants waitlisted with the corporation.
Maldivians attended hajj pilgrimage this year, after a hiatus of two years due to restrictions in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Only one million individuals were allowed to perform hajj, by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this year. Of the one million, 850,000 pilgrims were from different regions of the world.
During 2019, a total of 2.5 million Muslims performed hajj. This was followed by a significant drop in pilgrims during the year 2021 due to the pandemic, with only Saudi pilgrims who had been fully vaccinated against the virus, being allowed to perform hajj pilgrimage.
