The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that more than 1.8 million pilgrims from all over the world gathered on Mount Arafat in the western part of Saudi Arabia on Saturday to complete the yearly Hajj.
At a news conference, Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah stated that pilgrims have started to assemble at Arafat, a significant point in the six-day Hajj journey.
The minister also said that 221,854 pilgrims from within the Kingdom made up the total of nearly 1.8 million pilgrims for this year (1445 AH). The minister said that pilgrims traveled from more than 200 nations to Saudi Arabia.
According to related data, the Saudi General Authority for Statistics reported that there were 958,137 men and 875,027 women traveling on pilgrimage.
Of the total number of pilgrims, pilgrims from Arab nations made up 22.3%; non-Arab Asian countries, 63.3%; non-Arab African countries, 11.3%; and pilgrims from Europe, America, Australia, and other unidentified countries, 3.2%.
According to the same source, pilgrims from outside the Kingdom arrived by air in 1,546,345 cases, by land in 60,253 cases, and by sea in 4,714 cases.