Cairo: As more Muslims are flocking to Saudi Arabia to undertake Umrah or minor pilgrimage in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi authorities have recommended the faithful to perform the rites in serenity by choosing the most favourable times of the day and shunning overcrowding at the holy site.
To this end, the General Authority for Care of the Two Holy Mosques has specified the best times of the day when the Umrah rituals can be performed with ease and smoothly.
They are in the following order: from 6am to 8am; 12 to 2pm; and from 2am to 4am, the state agency said.
The main rituals of Umrah are circling the Holy Kaaba for seven times or Tawaf, and likewise walking back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah, a rite known as Sa’i, in the Grand Mosque.
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The current season of Umrah, which can be undertaken around the year, began in late June after the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage that around 1.8 million Muslims from across the globe attended.
More than 13 million Muslims performed Umrah last year with Saudi plans to raise the number to 15 million by next year.
Saudi Arabia, Islam’s birthplace, has recently introduced a host of facilities for Muslims wishing to come to the country for Umrah.
Muslims holding different types of entry visas such as the personal, visit and tourism visas are allowed to undertake Umrah and visit Al Rawda Al Sharifa, where the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is located in the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina after booking an e-appointment.
Authorities have extended the Umrah visa from 30 days to 90. Women pilgrims are no longer required to be escorted by male guardians.
