RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has cut back the number of pilgrims that may perform the Haj this year due to construction work aimed at expanding the holy site of Makkah, the Haj minister said.
The authorities had decided to reduce by half the number of pilgrims coming from within Saudi Arabia, and by about 20 percent those from abroad, said Bandar Hajjar.
“This is an exceptional and temporary decision,” the minister said, quoted by SPA state news agency. Some 3.1 million pilgrims performed the Haj last year, most of them from abroad. Hajjar said the expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah would add 400,000 sq metres (4.3 million square feet), raising its capacity to accommodate 2.2 million people at the same time.AFP
