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View all search resultsIndonesians begin haj as government works to ensure smooth pilgrimage
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Pilgrims walk to their gate before heading to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform the annual haj pilgrimage, at Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo, East Java, on April 22, 2026. (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
I
ndonesian pilgrims kicked off this year’s haj pilgrimage on Monday, as the government intensified measures to ensure the orderly movement, accommodation and safety of more than 200,000 pilgrims during the annual Islamic rite in Saudi Arabia.
The Haj and Umrah Ministry said over the weekend that all 202,551 Indonesian pilgrims under the state-subsidized regular haj program and 2,098 haj officers had arrived safely in Mecca.
Another 16,596 pilgrims from the special haj program, which is organized by private travel agencies, had also arrived.
Authorities are now shifting their full attention toward the pilgrims’ journey through Arafah, Muzdalifah and Mina, where haj pilgrims perform a series of core rituals over several days, including prayer vigils, overnight stays and the symbolic stoning ritual.
“Our pilgrims will start moving gradually to Arafah this morning Saudi time, with transportation continuing in waves throughout the day,” Deputy Haj and Umrah Minister Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Dahnil said the ministry’s main priority now was “maintaining the rhythm of pilgrim mobility and ensuring the availability of transportation, accommodation, health care and other essential services,” highlighting their necessity for the pilgrims’ safety during the pilgrimage’s busiest phase, which will last until May 30.
“We will also ensure that pilgrims occupy the tents in Arafah and Mina according to the arrangements made by the ministry, with no one taking over another one’s assigned space,” he said, adding that authorities would take firm action against groups violating official tent regulations.
