pilgrimage

Authorities will begin accepting travel requests from Aug 9.

This year's haj, with participants chosen through a lottery, is larger than the pared-down version staged in 2020 but drastically smaller than in normal times.

This will allow millions of Muslims who have been administered with the Chinese vaccine to perform the haj or umrah to Mecca.

Roughly 20 robots are currently available for helping visitors and pilgrims at the haj.

Only 60,000 vaccinated nationals and residents will be allowed to perform the annual pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage was largest public gathering since the pandemic began, with reports that there were three times more people there than authorised.

Only immunised pilgrims are eligible for permits to perform the pilgrimage and to attend prayers in the Grand Mosque during Ramadan.

Only those who have received two doses of the vaccine, those administered a single dose at least 14 days prior, and people who have recovered from the infection will be eligible for permits.

Religious affairs minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri says he will travel to Saudi Arabia in a week or two.

Several million people are expected to throng the holy city in Uttarakhand state over the coming seven weeks.

There is no word on whether the kingdom's strict ban on alcohol will be modified.

Politicians and elected representatives have been the biggest recipients of haj quotas over the decades.