Just one month before the start of this year's Hajj, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Indonesia, Essam Al-Thaqafi, stated that the Saudi government is making every effort to ensure the best service for pilgrims from around the world. This year's Hajj became the first that foreign pilgrims were able to attend since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.
The ambassador added that the preparation of the staff of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Jakarta was also carried out at the highest level. It was previously announced that Indonesia had been allocated 100,051 Hajj permits, which is the largest number issued to any single country.
Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia Essam Al-Taqafi emphasized that the preparations for the Hajj carried out by the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Jakarta were at the highest level.
Saudi Arabian authorities announced in April that after two years of strict restrictions due to the pandemic, 1 million pilgrims would be able to join the pilgrimage this year. This is a large increase compared to last year, when the number of pilgrims was limited to 60,000, all of whom resided in the Kingdom, but still significantly below the total number of pilgrims before the pandemic, at 2.5 million in 2019.
Al-Taqafi said that the people of Indonesia were overjoyed when the Kingdom announced an increase in the number of Hajj pilgrims this year as the pandemic recedes. He added that his embassy is coordinating its actions with the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to make the journey as easy as possible for Indonesian pilgrims. Over the past weekend, he noted, the first group of foreign pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj arrived from Indonesia.
Upon arrival, the Indonesian pilgrims were presented with flowers, dates, and bottles of Zamzam water.
Al-Taqafi also highly praised the Makkah Route initiative and the assistance provided to it by the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Jakarta. The initiative was launched by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Interior in 2019 in five countries — Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Morocco, and Bangladesh — to make it as easy as possible for pilgrims to complete the necessary checks and procedures and make the journey from their home countries to their place of residence during the Hajj. According to the ambassador, more than 60 Saudi Arabian officials work at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Indonesia to serve pilgrims.
According to Al-Taqafi, some Indonesians have to wait more than 30 years to obtain a Hajj permit, which means that the pilgrimage is truly a journey of a lifetime. He added that Indonesians are generally known for their calmness and respect, and this is reflected in how they behave during the Hajj and Umrah.
«We all saw the arrival of the first group of Indonesian pilgrims in Medina a few days ago and how beautifully organized they were," he said. Al-Taqafi also praised the Saudi workers who will serve the pilgrims during the Hajj.
The flight with the first batch of 358 Indonesian pilgrims arrived on June 4, with 358 pilgrims on board. They were welcomed by Deputy Minister for Visit Affairs of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Mohammed Al-Bijawi, Indonesian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Abdul Aziz Ahmed, and other officials. Upon arrival, the pilgrims were presented with flowers, dates, and bottles of Zamzam water.