ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Pilgrims from the Kurdistan Region will travel to Saudi Arabia exclusively by land this year to perform the Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
“In the public interest and to ensure Kurdistan’s pilgrims can travel to Saudi Arabia, and in coordination with [Iraq's] High Hajj Commission, it has been agreed that this year’s Hajj will be facilitated by land only, similar to Iraqi pilgrims,” the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
Last year, more than 6,000 pilgrims from the Kurdistan Region traveled to Saudi Arabia by both land and air.
The annual pilgrimage holds deep religious significance as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is a mandatory act of worship for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey.
Hajj takes place from the 8th to the 12th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar - falling in late May 2026 - and requires pilgrims to arrive in advance to prepare for the physically and spiritually demanding rituals in Mecca.
Karwan Stuni, head of the Kurdistan Region's Hajj and Umrah office, said that all pilgrims who have already paid for flight tickets will be reimbursed by the Iraqi High Commission for Hajj and Umrah.
Pilgrims whose names have been approved to go on Hajj, are scheduled to depart early next month.
“In coordination with the Iraqi High Commission for Hajj and Umrah, the mechanisms and procedures for the departure of Kurdistan’s pilgrims will be organized and announced,” the ministry added.
According to Stuni, a total of 5,120 people from the Kurdistan Region will perform Hajj this year.
He added that visas have been issued to all pilgrims and that most other preparations have been completed.