Operation to transport pilgrims to Mina successful: Hajj ministry

Pilgrims get on a bus in Makkah heading to Mina. (AN Photo)
Updated 19 August 2018
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Operation to transport pilgrims to Mina successful: Hajj ministry

  • Over 1.89 million Hajjis, arrived in the holy city of Makkah, according to Saudi authorities
  • Most pilgrims will leave the tented city in the morning on Monday

MAKKAH: The operation to transport pilgrims from the holy city of Makkah to Mina went successfully, the Hajj ministry said.

Abdulfattah Mashat, deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah, who was coordinating officials at the ministry with the preparation work for the coming days, hoped the rest of the Hajj operations would go smoothly. 

“Transporting pilgrims was done in a very smooth and simple manner,” Mashat told Arab News, “17,000 busses were used to transport pilgrims from Makkah,” he added.

The deputy minister talked of the logistics of getting the pilgrim’s to their tents and the facilities provided to them.

Most pilgrims will leave the tented city in the morning on Monday for an emotional day on and around Jabal Rahma, on Arafat’s great plain.

The ministry has also urged the pilgrims to follow the scheduled provided to them to avoid the dangers caused by overcrowding. 

Over 1.89 million Hajjis, both foreign and domestic, arrived in the holy city of Makkah, according to Saudi authorities.


Saudi Arabia expresses regret over damage to Qatar’s embassy building in Ukraine

Updated 10 January 2026
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Saudi Arabia expresses regret over damage to Qatar’s embassy building in Ukraine

  • Qatar said that its embassy in the Ukrainian capital was damaged during Russian strikes the night before but that its staff were unharmed

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has expressed regret over damages sustained by the building of Qatar’s embassy in the Ukrainian capital during a Russian attack. 

Qatar said that its embassy in the Ukrainian capital was damaged during Russian strikes the night before but that its staff were unharmed.

The Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement shared on X that the kingdom “expresses its profound regret over the damage sustained by the embassy building of the fraternal State of Qatar due to shelling in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.” 

Saudi Arabia also “renews its supporting position for diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the Russian-Ukrainian crisis by peaceful means,” it added. 

The ministry also affirmed the need to provide protection for members of diplomatic missions, and their premises, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.