First Group of Iranian Umrah Pilgrims Leaves for Medina
A total of 250 pilgrims were sent to Saudi Arabia in two convoys.
A ceremony, attended by Hajj and pilgrimage officials was held at the airport to see off the pilgrims.
Hojat-ol-Islam Seyed Hossein Roknoddini, the cultural deputy of the Leader’s representative office in Hajj and Pilgrimage, said at the ceremony that in addition to the well-planned programs, a cleric has been assigned to each batch of Iranian pilgrims who will be responsible for overseeing the precise implementation of their spiritual practices and Umrah rituals.
During this year’s Umrah season, many programs will be held in the two cities of Mecca and Medina, the most important of which is the Quranic circles with the participation of Quran reciters, eulogists and others, he noted.
Hojat-ol-Islam Roknoddini added that the purpose of holding the programs is to raise awareness and knowledge of pilgrims.
Alireza Bayat, head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, addressed the ceremony as well.
“Today, the first flight of Umrah pilgrims leaves Tehran. This month, we have planned two daily flights from Tehran and another province to the Land of Revelation. The dispatch of pilgrims is planned at 17 flight stations,” he said.
One of the steps taken to facilitate the journey of pilgrims to the House of God “is that we have reduced the transportation distances for pilgrims, and travel between the two cities of Mecca and Medina will be done by train,” he stated.
Bayat pointed out that all needed infrastructure has been prepared for transporting and receiving pilgrims, saying that the number of flights will gradually increase in the coming months.
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“Fortunately, this year we also have an incentive program for young couples, about a thousand of whom have registered so far.”
Umrah is a Mustahab (recommended but not obligatory) pilgrimage to Mecca which Muslims can take at any time of the year, unlike the Hajj pilgrimage that is obligatory for every able-bodied and financially able Muslim once in their lifetime and can be performed only in the first days of the lunar Hijri month of Dhul Hajja.
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