The Indonesian government has finalized preparations for accommodating more than 200,000 regular Hajj pilgrims during the 2025 pilgrimage season by securing 300 hotels across Mecca and Medina, according to officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The Director of Overseas Hajj Services at the Hajj Organizing Agency (BPH), Muchlis M. Hanafi, announced that “the government has readied 300 hotels, with 205 located in Mecca and 95 others in Medina. These numbers are adequate to serve 203,320 regular Hajj pilgrims.” He delivered these remarks during a virtual Hajj briefing broadcast from Jakarta on Sunday, Antara News reported on Sunday.
Hanafi highlighted that all accommodations in Mecca are located within a 4.5-kilometer radius of the Al-Haram Mosque, Islam’s holiest site. Shuttle buses have also been organized to transport pilgrims between the hotels and the mosque.
In Medina, the hotels are concentrated in the Markaziyah district, a central area in close proximity to the Prophet’s Mosque. Hanafi advised Indonesian pilgrims to take full advantage of their time at the mosque, suggesting that they remain in prayer and remembrance rather than rushing back to their lodgings, in order to reduce congestion at hotel entrances.
To ensure safety and convenience, Hanafi also urged pilgrims to carry identification cards containing their names and hotel numbers whenever they leave their accommodation.
He concluded by affirming that preparations for the Hajj are fully complete. “As of today, the readiness of all services for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims has reached 100 percent,” he stated.
The comprehensive services, he said, include arrangements for accommodation, transportation, meals, general logistics, and critical support during the peak days of the pilgrimage.
The annual Hajj pilgrimage draws millions of Muslims from around the world to Saudi Arabia each year. Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, sends the highest number of pilgrims annually, making logistical planning a major national undertaking.
Source: Agencies
