DUSHANBE, December 1, Asia-Plus — First group of Tajik pilgrims numbering 450 people will fly to Saudi Arabia on December 12, according to Tajikistan’s Committee for Religious Affairs.
Idibek Ziyoyev, the head of the department for international ties of the Committee for Religious Affairs, said in an interview with Asia-Plus that Tajik national air carrier will operate three flights on December 12. “In total, 28 flights are expected to be operated to Saudi Arabia during ten days,” Ziyoyev said, noting that pilgrims will fly to Saudi Arabia both from Dushanbe and Khujand. According to him, 4,250 people from Tajikistan will have made Hajj (the holy journey made by Muslims to Mecca) this year. “One of these days, a commission from Saudi Arabia will arrive in Tajikistan to register the pilgrims’ visas” the committee official said.
This year, Tajikistan’s pilgrims have to pay US$2,500 for the Hajj, US$200 more than last year.
Under a quota allotted by Saudi Arabia, 3,600 people from Tajikistan made the Hajj to Mecca in early 2006. This time, there are no restrictions on the number of pilgrims and anyone over the age of 18 who wishes may make the journey, according to the committee source.
The Hajj, a journey to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, is one of the five pillars of Islam. The pilgrimage is conducted during Zul-Hijjah, the last month of the lunar calendar used by Muslims.
