Saudi female officers register and check pilgrims at the Hajj Terminal at Jeddah airport. AP
Saudi female officers register and check pilgrims at the Hajj Terminal at Jeddah airport. AP
Saudi female officers register and check pilgrims at the Hajj Terminal at Jeddah airport. AP
Saudi female officers register and check pilgrims at the Hajj Terminal at Jeddah airport. AP

Hajj 2023: Pilgrims will need permit for Makkah as numbers return to pre-pandemic levels


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Saudi authorities are gearing up for a busy Hajj season, which is due to start on June 25.

The kingdom will begin receiving pilgrims on Saturday with the tally of visitors expected to be the highest since before the pandemic.

To help manage the numbers, residents and international tourists have been barred from entering Makkah without a permit.

“One must have an Umrah permit prior to Hajj starting if they want to go now,” said Faisal Al Shehri, a Hajj guide in Jeddah. “But closer to Hajj, they will have very strict measures in place and the number of people allowed to go to Makkah will be cut off to accommodate millions of Hajj pilgrims and their rituals,”

The Ministry of Interior said four categories of people will be allowed into Makkah under the new rules, which began on Monday and will last until the end of the Hajj season.

They are those who hold an entry permit to work in the holy sites, a resident ID issued by the holy city, an Umrah permit or a Hajj permit.

The Directorate of Passports said it had begun accepting electronic applications for entry permits for residents including domestic workers and non-Saudi family members, workers housed in Makkah, temporary work visa holders and contractors registered in the country during Hajj season.

Pilgrims wishing to perform Umrah can use the government's Nusuk app to pay online for electronic visas and accommodation, and book flights.

This year, Hajj will return to pre-pandemic numbers as the country will remove all Covid-19 restrictions. In 2019, before the pandemic, about 2.6 million people performed Hajj.

  • Saudi workers put the final touches to the kiswa, the drape that covers the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure at the heart the Grand Mosque, in Makkah. AP
    Saudi workers put the final touches to the kiswa, the drape that covers the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure at the heart the Grand Mosque, in Makkah. AP
  • A Muslim pilgrim arrives at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
    A Muslim pilgrim arrives at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP
  • A child plays outside the Grand Mosque. AFP
    A child plays outside the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Pilgrims feed cats on Jabal Al Noor in Makkah. AFP
    Pilgrims feed cats on Jabal Al Noor in Makkah. AFP
  • Pilgrims pray on Jabal Al Noor. AFP
    Pilgrims pray on Jabal Al Noor. AFP
  • Muslim pilgrims are pictured at Jabal Al Noor. AFP
    Muslim pilgrims are pictured at Jabal Al Noor. AFP
  • Muslim pilgrims climb Jabal Al Noor. AFP
    Muslim pilgrims climb Jabal Al Noor. AFP
  • A Bangladeshi pilgrim poses for a selfie in front of the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque. AP
    A Bangladeshi pilgrim poses for a selfie in front of the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque. AP
  • Pigeons surround pilgrims outside the Grand Mosque. AP
    Pigeons surround pilgrims outside the Grand Mosque. AP
  • Embroiderer Ahmed Othman El Kassabgy, right, whose family produces the Kiswa, the cloth used to cover the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, supervises an employee who works on a replica drape to be sold as a souvenir in Cairo, Egypt. AFP
    Embroiderer Ahmed Othman El Kassabgy, right, whose family produces the Kiswa, the cloth used to cover the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, supervises an employee who works on a replica drape to be sold as a souvenir in Cairo, Egypt. AFP
  • Saudi policemen monitor cameras at the Grand Mosque ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage. AP
    Saudi policemen monitor cameras at the Grand Mosque ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage. AP
  • Saudi policewoman Samah Mohammed receives a call at the Saudi National Centre for Security Operations ahead of Hajj. AP
    Saudi policewoman Samah Mohammed receives a call at the Saudi National Centre for Security Operations ahead of Hajj. AP
  • Makkah is set to host more than one million people, including 850,000 from abroad, for the hajj pilgrimage. AFP
    Makkah is set to host more than one million people, including 850,000 from abroad, for the hajj pilgrimage. AFP
  • Saudi security forces take part in a parade in Makkah. AFP
    Saudi security forces take part in a parade in Makkah. AFP
  • The Grand Mosque. AFP
    The Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Saudi honor guards line up during a parade in preparation for the Hajj pilgrimage. AP
    Saudi honor guards line up during a parade in preparation for the Hajj pilgrimage. AP
  • Muslim worshippers read from the Quran at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Muslim worshippers read from the Quran at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Muslim worshippers gather at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Muslim worshippers gather at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Worshippers gather before the Kaaba, the sacred cube-shaped building at the centre of the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Worshippers gather before the Kaaba, the sacred cube-shaped building at the centre of the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Worshippers arrive at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Pilgrims offer prayers before Hajj. SPA
    Pilgrims offer prayers before Hajj. SPA
  • Pilgrims arrive in Madinah. SPA
    Pilgrims arrive in Madinah. SPA
  • Pilgrims offer prayers. SPA
    Pilgrims offer prayers. SPA
  • Coachloads of pilgrims arrive in Madinah. SPA
    Coachloads of pilgrims arrive in Madinah. SPA
  • Pilgrims at prayer. SPA
    Pilgrims at prayer. SPA
  • Moroccan pilgrims arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. SPA
    Moroccan pilgrims arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. SPA
  • Hajj pilgrims from Sudan arrive at Jeddah Port. SPA
    Hajj pilgrims from Sudan arrive at Jeddah Port. SPA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go

The flights

Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com

Seeing the games

Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com

 

Staying there

Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com

 

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

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The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

Bharat

Director: Ali Abbas Zafar

Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The%20BaaS%20ecosystem
%3Cp%3EThe%20BaaS%20value%20chain%20consists%20of%20four%20key%20players%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsumers%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20End-users%20of%20the%20financial%20product%20delivered%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDistributors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Also%20known%20as%20embedders%2C%20these%20are%20the%20firms%20that%20embed%20baking%20services%20directly%20into%20their%20existing%20customer%20journeys%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEnablers%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Usually%20Big%20Tech%20or%20FinTech%20companies%20that%20help%20embed%20financial%20services%20into%20third-party%20platforms%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProviders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Financial%20institutions%20holding%20a%20banking%20licence%20and%20offering%20regulated%20products%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
US PGA Championship in numbers

Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.

To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.

Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.

4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.

In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.

For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.

Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.

Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.

Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.

10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.

11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.

12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.

13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.

14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.

15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.

16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.

17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.

18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Updated: May 17, 2023, 8:36 AM