Thekabarnews.com—Saudi Arabia announced that it will host 1,000 male and female Umrah pilgrims from 16 countries under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Guests Program for Hajj, Umrah, and Visit for the Islamic year 1448 AH.

The initiative comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s continuous endeavors to serve Muslims around the world. It also aims to build bridges with Islamic communities in various regions through religious and cultural interaction.

The royal decree orders the implementation of the annual program. This program brings selected pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in four separate batches during the year, the announcement said.

The first group will consist of 250 Umrah pilgrims from 16 Asian countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan, and Mongolia. Besides these, there will be participants from many other Asian countries.

The Guests Program is one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship initiatives. It aims to enable Muslims who would otherwise be prevented from undertaking the Umrah pilgrimage or participating in educational and cultural activities related to Islam. This is due to financial or logistical challenges that would otherwise prevent them from making religious visits.

Under the program, the Saudi government normally hosts invited pilgrims, providing them with travel arrangements, accommodation, and transportation. Moreover, it gives the chance to visit Islam’s holiest sites in Makkah and Madinah.

The initiative also offers participants the opportunity for religious learning and cultural exchanges. Additionally, they have meetings with Islamic scholars and officials during their stay in the Kingdom.

For many years, Saudi Arabia has been running the Guests Program as part of its broader efforts. The program is intended to serve Islam and Muslims around the world.

This initiative implements the Kingdom’s permanent keenness to upgrade services provided for pilgrims and strengthen ties with Muslim communities worldwide.

The first group includes Indonesia, which is particularly important as it has the largest Muslim population in the world. In fact, Indonesia sends millions of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah every year.

Recently, Saudi Arabia has continued to enhance its pilgrimage services to improve the overall experience for international visitors. This is achieved via digital transformation, infrastructure upgrades, and streamlined visa procedures.

One of these broader efforts is the Royal Guests Program, which includes special invitations to a select number of representatives of different Muslim communities worldwide.

The program is part of Saudi Arabia’s overall push to improve religious diplomacy. It encourages more unity among Muslims through shared spiritual experiences.

The Kingdom is looking to boost cultural understanding and strengthen bonds between Islamic communities outside their borders. It aims to achieve this goal by welcoming pilgrims from many countries.

Saudi Arabia reiterated its commitment to ensuring safe, meaningful, and well-organized pilgrimage experiences. Meanwhile, it maintained its long-standing role as the guardian of Islam’s two holiest mosques as preparations got under way for the first group of guests.

The 1448 AH Royal Guests Program will strengthen the Kingdom’s global engagement with Muslim communities. It will also showcase its continued commitment to serving pilgrims from across the Islamic world.

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