DUSHANBE, May 27, 2013, Asia-Plus — According to the press center of the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) under the Government of Tajikistan, Saudi authorities have allocated a quota of more than 6,000 hajjis to Tajikistan this year.
This year, Tajik pilgrims will have to pay 17,625 somoni (equivalent to more than 3,710 USD). This amount reportedly includes travel expenses, board and lodging, and purchase of animal for sacrificing during the Hajj.
Last year, the Hajj cost was 3,546 U.S. dollars and in 2011, the Hajj cost was 3,448 U.S. dollars.
The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God. The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year.
