Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) has switches from Saudi riyals to US dollars in setting fees for its 2027 Hajj program, abandoning a policy associated with a government campaign to promote the use of national currencies launched in 2018, the BirGün daily reported Wednesday.
Under the 2027 program, the standard package for one person sharing a two-person room costs $9,200, or approximately TL 441,000 at current exchange rates. A couple traveling together would pay $18,400, or roughly TL 882,000.
A three-person room costs $8,800 per pilgrim, although the Diyanet says availability is limited.
Packages offering hotels closer to the main pilgrimage sites range from $14,000 to $24,500 per person. The most expensive option costs about TL 1.2 million at current exchange rates.
The Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars, is required once in a lifetime for Muslims who are physically and financially able to make the journey.
The Diyanet collected Hajj fees in Turkish lira in 2017 before switching to Saudi riyals for the 2018 pilgrimage. Official documents show that fees continued to be listed in riyals in subsequent years, including for the 2026 Hajj.
The 2018 switch came as the government encouraged the use of national currencies following a sharp decline in the value of the Turkish lira and heightened tensions between Ankara and Washington.
The lira lost nearly 40 percent of its value against the dollar that year, when Turkey and the United States were locked in a dispute over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson. He was released and allowed to return to the United States in October 2018 after a Turkish court convicted him of terrorism-related charges but sentenced him to time served.
Since the Saudi riyal is fixed to the dollar at a rate of 3.75 riyals to $1, the currency switch does not significantly change the exchange-rate risk. It does, however, make a direct comparison with last year’s fee less obvious.
Diyanet sources question switch
Diyanet sources cited by BirGün criticized both the higher fees and the decision to announce them in dollars, claiming the currency change made the increase less apparent.
“The fee for 2026 Hajj applications was 24,500 riyals, equivalent to TL 280,000. For 2027 Hajj applications, the fee was increased by 30 percent,” a Diyanet source told BirGün.
The source claimed that keeping the fees in riyals would have made the increase easier to see. The source also criticized the Diyanet’s spending on programs at five-star hotels and said the directorate should instead work to reduce costs.
Based on the currencies’ fixed exchange rate, 24,500 riyals is equivalent to about $6,533. Compared with the new $9,200 standard fee, the published figures indicate an increase of roughly 41 percent in dollar terms. The increase in Turkish lira varies depending on the exchange rate used.
The Diyanet has not publicly responded to the criticism.
BirGün also reported that payments from pilgrims are transferred to accounts belonging to the Turkey Diyanet Foundation (TDV), which are not audited by Turkey’s Court of Accounts.
Sources at the directorate said some of the money is used for Hajj visas and advance payments to service providers involved in organizing the pilgrimage. The report did not provide a full breakdown of the costs.
Nearly 1.88 million people entered the Diyanet’s lottery for the 84,942 Hajj places allocated to Turkey for 2027, according to official figures.
The initial registration period ran from July 30 through August 18. The Diyanet said any remaining places would be offered according to the lottery ranking between August 24 and September 1.
Demand for Hajj places in Turkey has long exceeded the quota set by Saudi Arabia, requiring the Diyanet to select prospective pilgrims through a lottery.
The Diyanet plays a powerful role in shaping religious life in officially secular Turkey, overseeing the country’s state-organized Hajj program as well as tens of thousands of mosques and the sermons delivered by their imams.
