hajj

Stampedes, tent fires, heat and other factors have caused hundreds of deaths at the event over the past 30 years.

Under the auspices of the kingdom's Crown Prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has played a leading role in Syria’s gradual reintegration into the regional fold.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had hoped it could arrange for direct flights between the two countries, even in advance of the deal, but to date, those efforts have not borne fruit.

Authorities in the kingdom said more than 1.6 million pilgrims had already arrived for the pilgrimage as of Sunday. The gathering officially starts on Tuesday.

Sayid Mahdi, who will be in charge of around 2,800 Iranian pilgrims that will perform haj next week, said Saudi Arabia has been more cooperative in finding hotels for Iranians this year.

sraeli and US officials had predicted that the kingdom, home to Islam's two holiest sites, might as a goodwill gesture let members of Israel's 18% Muslim minority fly in directly for this year's Hajj

Muslims from Israel and the Palestinian territories currently travel to Mecca through third-party countries, which can spell additional expense and bother.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is home to Masjid al-Haram, the largest mosque in the world which has within it the Ka'ba toward which all Muslims pray.