Muscat: In 1446 AH, 13,944 visitors from the Sultanate of Oman arrived, with 99. 6% having completed all necessary criteria for performing Hajj rites, while 56 pilgrims are still completing processes.
This was announced during a news conference held by Oman's Hajj Mission at the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs to examine the figures, data, and improvements for this year's Hajj season.
Ahmed Saleh Al Rashdi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs and director of Oman's Hajj Mission, said that Oman's Hajj quota for this year was 14,000 pilgrims, including 13,530 Omani nationals and 470 residents. The overall quota was allocated among the governorates according on population density (number of people) for those aged 18 and older.
He stated that Muscat Governorate received the biggest portion, accounting for 24% of the total quota, followed by North Al Batinah Governorate with 19%, while Musandam Governorate received the smallest share, totaling less than 1% of the authorized quota.
He emphasized that eligibility was granted electronically via Oman's Hajj registration system, using mathematical formulas based on Sharia concepts and jurisprudential considerations that account for a variety of elements and goals, including societal concerns.
In terms of pilgrim distribution by Hajj type, he stated that obligatory Hajj pilgrims made up the greatest group, totaling around 11,780 pilgrims (84% of the quota), followed by voluntary pilgrims, those performing Hajj on behalf of the incapacitated, fulfilling wills, performing Hajj on behalf of the deceased, and lastly, pilgrims with chronic illnesses.
In terms of age breakdown, he stated that the 30-45 age group was the largest, accounting for 39%, followed by the 45-60 age group, those over 60 (about 16%), and the youngest group (18-30) at 5%.
He also mentioned that the majority of Oman's pilgrims flew (over 63%), while 37% opted for ground. The average cost for land pilgrims is OMR1,417, whereas the average cost for air pilgrims is OMR2,063.
He stated that Oman's Hajj Mission has launched various quality projects this season, including the Awqaf Beit AlRibat initiative to assist eligible social welfare recipients for Hajj 1446 AH, benefiting over 150 pilgrims with a total of more than OMR150,000. More than 30 governmental and commercial organisations attended the first Hajj and Umrah Exhibition.
He stated that the mobile cart project for senior pilgrims intends to supply carts for performing Tawaf and Sa'i rituals, with approximately 450 elderly and disabled visitors expected to benefit this season.
Meanwhile, the electronic wristband program offers wearable devices for older pilgrims and individuals with medical problems to improve safety, monitoring, and reduce incidents of theft.
He stated that the Hajj Company Readiness Assessment program aims to ensure the highest levels of efficiency and quality while enhancing the performance of Hajj companies in accordance with future stages of managing Oman's pilgrims based on specific performance indicators. The aim of the land transportation arrangements development strategy is to cut the average wait time for buses at land ports from four hours to around 45 minutes.
He said that the Mission had made a number of new developments for this year's Hajj season (1446 AH) in Oman's camps in the holy sites across important service sectors. In Mina camp, 75 additional restrooms were constructed, bringing the total to 267, along with 250 new ablution stations (total: 356). Other cooling systems were supplemented by 150 new split units for air conditioning, bringing the overall number to 900.
One hundred new restrooms (total: 320) and 250 new ablution stations (total: 312) were installed in Arafat camp. The air conditioning was also improved, with 60,000 cooling units now covering every 32 square meters, up from 40 square meters last season.
