RIYADH

Over 1.8 million pilgrims from across the globe on Saturday converged on Mount Arafat in the western region of Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Hajj, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced.

During a press conference, Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said pilgrims began gathering at Arafat, a crucial rite of the Hajj pilgrimage, which lasts for six days.

The minister further disclosed that the total number of pilgrims for this year (1445 AH) reached over 1.8 million, including 221,854 from within the Kingdom. Pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia from over 200 countries, the minister added.

In related statistics, the Saudi General Authority for Statistics said the number of male pilgrims stood at 958,137, while female pilgrims totaled 875,027.

Arab countries constituted 22.3% of the pilgrims, non-Arab Asian countries accounted for 63.3%, non-Arab African countries 11.3%, and pilgrims from Europe, America, Australia, and other unspecified countries comprised 3.2% of the total.

Regarding the arrival routes of pilgrims from outside the Kingdom, 1,546,345 arrived via air, 60,253 via land, and 4,714 via sea, according to the same source.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala