Jeddah: More than 11,000 Chinese pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia as hundreds of thousands others from across the world flock to Mekkah to perform hajj later this month, and fulfill one of Islam's main pillars.
"Chinese pilgrims have now arrived in Makkah and Madinah. They are all in good health," Mustapha Young Jee Poo, chief of the Chinese Hajj mission was quoted by Arab News.
The Chinese hajj mission announced that 11,800 Chinese pilgrims will perform hajj this year 9,300 pilgrims are in Mekkah and 2,500 in Madinah, he added.
"We commend and appreciate the efforts of the Saudi government for the service to the guests of God," he added at an event to welcome the Hajj delegation of People's Republic of China at the Chinese Consulate.
"In particular, we commend the expansion projects being implemented in Makkah and Madinah."
The expansion of the mataf (the circumambulation area in the Grand Mosque) greatly helps to accommodate the ever-increasing numbers of pilgrims, he added.
Distributed among 37 flights, Chinese pilgrims benefited the direct flights of Chinese airlines from Beijing to Madinah, Poo explained.
Muslims from around the world pour into Makkah every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, which is expected to draw more than 3 million Muslims this year.
Hajj consists of several rituals, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime.
Most pilgrims come earlier to visit the holy mosques in Makkah and nearby Madinah, where Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) was buried over 1,400 years ago.
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