Makkah: Over 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the kingdom for the upcoming hajj, according to a Saudi official, exceeding the number of international visitors last year.
Pilgrims have continued to flock to Saudi Arabia to participate in this year's hajj.
"The total number of pilgrims arriving from abroad has reached 1,518,153," Saleh Al-Murabba, the commander of Saudi Arabia's Hajj Passport Forces, told a press conference late Friday.
These figures are expected to rise further over the next two days as pilgrims continue to arrive from abroad ahead of the formal rituals that mark the beginning of the hajj on Monday.
Last year, the total number of pilgrims at the hajj reached 1,673,320, including 1,506,576 from outside Saudi Arabia.
