Saudi Arabia declares start dates for Hajj and Eid Al Adha

Crescent moon marking the start of the month of Dhul Hijjah was sighted on Sunday evening

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  Yemeni Muslims prepare to board a flight heading to Makkah. AFP

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  A passport control officer checks the travel documents of a Palestinian pilgrim at the Rafah crossing point with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

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  Iraqi pilgrims prepare to fly to Makkah for Haj, at Baghdad airport. AP Photo

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  Palestinian pilgrims at the Rafah crossing point with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

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  Husin bin Nisan, right, bids farewell to relatives before departure for the Hajj pilgrimage at his house in Tangerang, Indonesia. AP Photo

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  Saadiha Khaliq with books she read to prepare for her pilgrimage, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Khaliq family plan to travel together to Makkah in Saudi Arabia for Hajj. AP Photo

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  Iraqi pilgrims walk around the model of Kaaba during a lecture on performing the Hajj rituals in Tikrit, Iraq. AP Photo

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  Syrian pilgrims register for a training session on how to perform Hajj rituals in Hazzanu, Idlib province. AFP

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  A Syrian man bids an elderly woman farewell as Hajj pilgrims board a bus in Sarmada on the first leg of their journey to Saudi Arabia. AFP

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  A man bids another farewell as pilgrims board a bus in Sarmada town before leaving for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. AFP

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  People bid relatives farewell as pilgrims board a bus in Sarmada town in Syria's north-western Idlib province. AFP

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  Muslim pilgrims arriving from north-western Syrian areas pass baggage checks at the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey. AFP

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  Pilgrims arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, as they prepare to fly to Saudi Arabia. AFP

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  A Kashmiri pilgrim waves goodbye. EPA

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  A pilgrim is embraced by her relative before leaving for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. AFP

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  The first flights from Malaysia have arrived in Saudi Arabia under the Makkah Route Initiative. SPA

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  It has been expanded to Turkey and the Ivory Coast this year, joining Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh. SPA

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  All Hajj pilgrims this year must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and aged under 65. AFP

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  They must also present a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours of their departure flight. AFP

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  A pilgrim takes his luggage after inspection in Baghdad. AFP

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  Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for every Muslim. AFP

UPDATE: Eid Al Adha holidays 2023 announced for private sector

The annual Hajj pilgrimage will begin on June 26 with Eid Al Adha falling two days later, Saudi Arabia confirmed on Sunday evening.

The announcement came after the crescent moon, which heralds the start of Dhul Hijjah, the 12th and final month in the Islamic calendar, was sighted.

It means Dhul Hijjah will begin on Monday, allowing for the start dates of both Hajj - which falls on the eighth day of the month - and Eid Al Adha, which commences on its tenth day, to be determined.

Hajj will begin on Monday, June 26, followed by Arafat Day the following day, with Eid Al Adha celebrations beginning on Wednesday, June 28.

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court had called on Muslims in the Kingdom to sight the crescent moon on Sunday evening. An official committee was set up to sight the moon at sunset.

The entire month of Dhu Al Hijja is holy, with a series of days important to the Muslim faith.

Dhu Al Hijja is considered one of the four sacred months for Muslims, called Al Ash-hur Al Hurom.

Hajj and Eid Al Adha explained:

Millions of Muslims travel to Makkah to perform Hajj each year, with many also heading farther north to the city of Madinah

All Muslims able to do so are required to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lifetime. Hajj and the other four pillars of Islam form a foundation of life for Muslims.

The annual pilgrimage takes place during Dhu Al Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar and lasts for about four to six days.

More than 2 million Muslims are expected to take part this year, in a return to pre-pandemic numbers.

Eid Al Adha means “festival of the sacrifice”. It coincides with the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah.

The sacrifice the holiday commemorates is explained in the Quran, which tells of how the Prophet Ibrahim was asked by God in a dream to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as a test of his faith.

This year, Hajj is expected to begin on June 26. The pilgrimage takes three days, with many pilgrims extending their stay by a week to pray in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.