(Riyadh) Saudi Arabia announced Saturday that its security forces had turned away more than 300,000 unregistered pilgrims from Mecca, a week before the start of the annual pilgrimage to the holy city.
Crowd management at this large gathering has proven perilous in the past, notably in 2015, when a stampede left around 2,300 dead.
Among those turned back from Mecca in recent days are 153,998 foreigners who were granted tourist visas instead of the permits granted by the kingdom to different countries based on quotas, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
Saudi authorities also intercepted 171,587 residents of the kingdom who did not have permits for the Hajj.
Last year, more than 1.8 million Muslims took part in the hajj, according to official figures.
Since last Saturday, more than 1.3 million registered pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj, according to authorities.
The hajj which begins on June 14 is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims who can afford it.
Saudi Arabia is home to Islam’s holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina, and the Gulf kingdom earns billions of dollars each year from the hajj and pilgrimages, known as Umrah, undertaken in other times of the year.
Pilgrimages also confer prestige on the Saudi monarch whose official title includes that of “Guardian of the Two Holy Mosques” of Mecca and Medina.