JAKARTA, May 6 – Indonesia’s 241,000 pilgrims are gearing up for their Hajj journey this year to the holy city in Saudi Arabia.
They comprise 213,320 regular pilgrims and 27,680 special pilgrims who will enter 14 hajj dormitories across Indonesia on May 11 in preparation before flying to Saudi Arabia.
Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry Domestic Hajj Services director Saiful Mujab said the dormitories were located in Aceh, Medan, Batam, Padang, Palembang, Jakarta, Jakarta Saudia, Kertajati, Solo, Surabaya, Lombok, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, and Makassar.
The regular pilgrims, managed directly by the ministry, are scheduled to depart beginning May 12, while the special pilgrims managed under private management or travel agencies, will fly out from May 23.
“The first group of departures spans from May 12 to 23, with the second group from May 24 to June 10,” said Saiful in a statement on Monday.
Indonesia, with the world’s largest Muslim population, recorded the highest number of Hajj pilgrims ever this year compared to 229,000 last year.
