Saudi Arabia has issued new orders regarding Umrah saying that people can only do it once this Ramazan to ease overcrowding at the holy site in Makkah.
Ramazan is the peak season for Umrah at the Makkah’s Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site.
In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said it would not be issuing permits for a second pilgrimage, asking the believers to perform one less Umrah, allowing others to visit the holy place during the blessed month.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, the ministry said that the prohibition aims to “ease congestion, give others the chance to undertake Umrah and help in crowd management.”
In case a person applies for a second permit, as per Nusuk, the platform which facilitates the pilgrimage’s procedure, a message will appear reading:
“The permit issuance fails. To give everyone the chance to perform Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage can’t be repeated in Ramazan.”
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque allocated a number of entry and exit gates at the mosque in Makkah to receive the pilgrims in order to facilitate Umrah pilgrims amid rush in the holy month of Ramazan.
The authorities have taken numerous other steps as well to facilitate the people, including extending the Umrah visa from 30 days to 90.