The Unified Media Operations Center for Hajj at the Ministry of Media held yesterday evening the “Media Briefing for Hajj 1446 – 2025”, with the participation of the security spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Colonel Talal bin Abdulmohsen bin Shalhoub, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Ghassan bin Rashid Al-Nuaimi, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Engineer Khalid bin Saud Al-Tale’, and the spokesman for the transportation and logistics system in the Hajj season, Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Zwaid.

The security spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Colonel Talal bin Abdulmohsen bin Shalhoub, congratulated the pilgrims of the Sacred House of God on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, asking God to accept their Hajj and to return them to their families and homelands safe and sound, saying: “We thank God for His success in completing the pilgrims’ transportation operations during the journey of the holy sites successfully, as the guests of the Most Merciful returned this morning to Mina, after performing the Tawaf al-Ifadah and throwing the pebbles at Jamarat al-Aqaba, in an atmosphere of security and tranquility.”.

He explained that the Hajj security forces continue to perform their duties to protect the pilgrims and ensure their safety during their stay in Mina, and while performing their rituals in the Grand Mosque and the Jamarat facility. This includes organizing pedestrian traffic and managing crowds on all roads that connect the camps to the Jamarat facility and the Grand Mosque, whether in the circumambulation area and the Sa'i area, or at the entrances or around the stoning basins. He called on the pilgrims to continue to adhere to the instructions that regulate their movements during the days of Tashreeq, especially with regard to stoning the Jamarat, circumambulation and Sa'i, by adhering to the crowd schedules, following the specified routes when going and returning, not carrying luggage to the Jamarat facility and the Grand Mosque, and maintaining calmness and order in movement.

The pilgrims who intend to leave early on the second day of Tashreeq are urged to stay in their camps until the departure time specified by those in charge of serving them. Security statistics indicate the impact of the efforts made by all security agencies, which played an active role in the success of the approved operational plans. The total number of fake campaigns and unlicensed offices has reached (436) so far, and the number of decisions of the seasonal administrative committees has reached (418) decisions, and (462) violating transporters and contributors have been apprehended.

The security spokesman for the Ministry of Interior affirmed the continuation of security and organizational efforts in accordance with the approved plans, to ensure the safety of the pilgrims until they complete their rituals and return safely, asking God for success and guidance in performing this great honor, in a way that fulfills the aspirations of our wise leadership.

For his part, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Ghassan bin Rashid Al-Nuaimi, explained that the crowd management model is a Saudi industry, one of the most complex and advanced models, with huge numbers, and environmental, temporal and spatial constraints, yet it achieves the highest levels of safety and smoothness. During the days (8, 9 and 10) of Dhu al-Hijjah, a number of crowd management plans and operations were implemented. These plans included the movement of pilgrims to the holy sites, and (64%) of the pilgrims preferred to move to Mina to spend the day of Tarwiyah, and (36%) of them chose to move directly to Arafat.

He said: On the ninth day, the movement to Arafat was completed, and by sunset, the movement to Muzdalifah began. In Muzdalifah, 50% of the pilgrims chose to stay overnight, 30% expressed their desire to stay until midnight, and 20% preferred to stop during the day. Starting yesterday evening until 4:00 AM on the first day of Tashreeq, all pilgrims will, God willing, complete the stoning of the Jamarat al-Aqaba, according to the approved crowd management plans and schedules. The number of pilgrims who performed Tawaf al-Ifadah and Sa'i exceeded 436,000 by 6:00 PM today, according to the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque. The Authority launched a new electronic service on its website, which allows visitors to the Grand Mosque to know the real-time density in the Mataf and Sa'i areas, enabling them to choose the appropriate time to perform Tawaf and Sa'i.

He continued, saying: “We believe that the best service is the one that is not seen but felt. Thank God, all of what we mentioned was done with high smoothness, under the supervision of qualified field teams, and in coordination with the system’s partners, without recording any crowding or traffic jams. Technology works silently during Hajj, with the aim of alleviating the hardship for the pilgrims of the House of God. The “Nusk” card continued to play its pivotal role in controlling and organizing the pilgrims’ paths, as it has been used in more than (5.5) million electronic readings so far. The Nusk application and the interactive maps service helped guide more than (35) thousand pilgrims. More than (400) thousand bags for pilgrims were linked to “Nusk QR” for ease of transport and to protect them from loss. The “Nusk Care” centers provided more than (50) thousand guidance and directional services so far, distributed across more than (236) centers and contact points spread throughout Makkah and the Holy Sites. The (1966) call center provided more than (310) thousand services.” With a response speed of “3 seconds” to answer inquiries and provide guidance at all stages of Hajj.

He pointed out that, in terms of inspection tours, the “Compliance” centers have carried out more than (65) thousand inspection tours so far, which included the pilgrims’ residences and various service provision facilities, with the limited cases of deficiencies at a rate of only (10%), which were dealt with immediately by the specialized inspection teams, which was reflected in the level of field performance and the quality of services. Therefore, through the efficiency of the great awareness and organizational efforts made by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in cooperation with its partners in the Hajj system, these efforts contributed to a remarkable decrease in the number of observations recorded by a rate of more than (71%) compared to last year, from (23) to (6) thousand observations.

The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah concluded his statement by saying that, in light of the high temperatures, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah reiterates the importance of adhering to the approved crowd management schedules and not violating them under any circumstances. Pilgrims are required to remain inside the camps during the daytime hours, from (10) am until (4) pm, during the days of Tashreeq, to ​​avoid direct exposure to the sun's rays. The Ministry, along with its partners, continues to serve the guests of God until the completion of the season, God willing. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not view organizing the Hajj as merely a task, but as a great honor with which we are religiously and historically connected, which it offers with a sense of responsibility and the spirit of Saudi generosity and hospitality. He prayed to God Almighty to accept the pilgrims' Hajj and that they return to their homes with tranquil hearts and lasting memories.

The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Engineer Khalid bin Saud Al-Tale’, spoke about the movement of pilgrims from the plains of Arafat to Muzdalifah, passing through performing their rituals in Mina with high smoothness, noting that the roads have foot health teams and health units that were created on the pedestrian route that provided urgent health services immediately to the guests of God, according to advanced health services that keep pace with the best international standards, to make this religious ritual an easy health experience.

He pointed to the tangible impact of implementing the regulations, the most important of which was “No Hajj without a permit,” and the application of health requirements, including the principle of health capability, in addition to activating well-studied crowd management plans on the success of this Hajj season of the year (1446 AH). These diligent efforts had a clear and direct impact on reducing the number of health cases, and we witnessed a decrease of (90%) in cases of heat exhaustion for this year’s Hajj season compared to last year, which reflects our joint success in promoting the health and safety of the pilgrims. Despite the high temperatures, what pleased everyone was the commitment of the pilgrims and their adherence to the awareness instructions. A limited number of cases of heat exhaustion were dealt with, reaching (362) cases so far, with high efficiency until they recovered, thanks be to God Almighty.

He said: “In light of these blessed efforts, the number of health services provided up to the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah exceeded (125) thousand integrated services, including receiving more than (68) thousand cases in primary health care centers, providing urgent care to about (31) thousand cases in emergency departments, admitting more than (5) thousand cases to hospitals, including (2,453) cases in intensive care departments, performing (18) open heart operations, (216) cardiac catheterization operations, and providing more than (9,190) virtual services through the Health Virtual Hospital.”.

He added: “In the midst of this success that God has bestowed upon us in this year’s Hajj season, we emphasize the importance of pilgrims continuing to adhere to the crowd schedules and avoiding exposure to sunlight, especially during peak times, which extend from (10) am to (4) pm, using umbrellas, ensuring they drink sufficient amounts of fluids to prevent dehydration and exhaustion, taking regular rest periods, and not overexerting themselves, in order to protect their health. We urge them to contact the “937” call center and the “Sehhaty” application, as the health teams are fully prepared to meet all their needs for care and awareness, around the clock and in several languages.”.

The official spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Engineer Khalid bin Saud Al-Tale’, reassured everyone about the health condition of the pilgrims, as no outbreaks of diseases or diseases affecting public health were recorded among them, thanks to God and then thanks to the integrated efforts made by the various government agencies in the Kingdom, which worked in harmony and synergy in serving the pilgrims, reflecting their firm commitment to placing the health and safety of the guests of God at the forefront of their priorities, in accordance with the aspirations of the leadership - may God support them.

For his part, Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Zwaid, spokesman for the transport and logistics system during the Hajj season, addressed the progress of the operational plans for the Al-Mashaaer train as planned. The train continued to provide its services for the fourth consecutive day, offering a safe and convenient transportation experience for pilgrims between the holy sites. He noted that yesterday, during the departure phase that began from sunset on the Day of Arafah until (12:30) after midnight, more than (294) thousand pilgrims moved from Arafat to Muzdalifah. Then, more than (349) thousand pilgrims moved by train from Muzdalifah to Mina in the subsequent phase. At nine o'clock this morning, the first day of Eid al-Adha, the fifth movement of the Al-Mashaaer train began, connecting the stations of Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mina, reaching Mina Jamarat. This service will continue until sunset on the (13)th of Dhul-Hijjah.

He explained that the number of beneficiaries of the train so far has exceeded more than one million passengers who moved between the holy sites with complete ease and smoothness, reiterating the integrated effort undertaken by the General Transport Center of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and the Holy Sites, as it has, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, established a station to transport pilgrims from west of the Jamarat to the Grand Mosque with a capacity of up to transporting (20) thousand passengers per hour, through (100) articulated buses with a capacity of (125) passengers per bus, to facilitate their transport to perform Tawaf Al-Ifadah and complete their rituals in a dedicated shuttle route that separates the movement of buses from pedestrians, and reduces the time of the guests’ transfer from Mina to the Grand Mosque to about (20) minutes only, in addition to Makkah buses that connect more than (430) stops in (12) routes, including (4) stations in the central area serving transport to the Grand Mosque, and Makkah taxis located in (25) stops.

He praised the high overall rate of compliance of licensed transport companies with regulations and instructions. The Public Transport Authority's inspection teams carried out more than (300) thousand inspection operations and we observed high compliance rates. The National Center for Transport Safety plays an important role in supporting efforts to enhance safety levels by receiving reports related to the safety of the modes of transport used by pilgrims to ensure a safe and easy journey. He added that on the logistical side, Saudi Post “Subul” presented a partnership this year with the Ministry of Health through which it contributed to transporting more than (10,000) blood samples with high reliability, enhancing the readiness of hospitals, in addition to enabling (348) entities to carry out more than (63,000) operations through official mail during the Hajj season.

A spokesperson for the transport and logistics system announced the readiness of all entities within the system for the departure of pilgrims through (6) airports designated for them, whether for domestic or international pilgrims. He emphasized the importance of pilgrims adhering to instructions related to baggage handling and air transport requirements, especially regarding the permitted weights of bags and luggage. The transport and logistics system continues to dedicate all human and technical resources through more than (45) thousand national personnel to serve pilgrims and provide an easier Hajj experience, higher quality services, and smoother transportation until the end of the season and the departure of the last flights. This embodies the directives of the wise leadership - may God protect them - to provide all support and constant attention to serving pilgrims, so that they may perform their rituals with ease and peace of mind.