26m pilgrims visited Makkah during Ramazan

Adviser to the governor of Makkah says numbers show an increase of more than 4.6 per cent from last year

Some 26 million worshippers visited the Holy Kaabah in Makkah during the holy month of Ramazan, adviser to the governor of Makkah revealed on Sunday. 

“The total number of passengers was 26,729,709, an increase of more than 4.6 per cent from last year,” Hisham Al Faleh, adviser to the Makkah governor and general supervisor of the urban development of Makkah, said.

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Despite a large number of worshippers, access to the Grand Mosque was made easy with the help of the transport arrangement under the guidance of Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal.

Al Faleh said five transport firms had assumed the task of transportation. He added, “1.7 million vehicles used the parking lots at the entrances of Makkah and the central area while 6.6 million vehicles were pressed into service for pick-up and drop of pilgrims and worshippers."

Read: Record-breaking number visit Makkah during first 16 days of Ramazan

According to him, the number represented a 15% increase as compared to last year.

The holy month of Ramazan began in Saudi Arabia on June 18. More than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world marked the month, during which believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn until sunset.

Read: Saudi opens first privatised airport for pilgrims

As the annual Hajj pilgrimage in September approaches, Saudi authorities are spending more than $20 billion upgrading and expanding the Grand Mosque as a record-breaking number of pilgrims are expected to visit.

This article originally appeared on On Islam.