Kuala lumpur: On Friday, pilgrims from Malaysia reported that they were having a smooth time travelling through Saudi Arabia as part of the Makkah Route initiative and that the Saudi people's hospitality had touched them.
Malaysia is one of seven Muslim-majority nations where Saudi Arabia launched its Makkah Route initiative, along with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, Turkiye, and Cote d'Ivoire.
The programme, which was introduced in 2019, is intended for Hajj pilgrims and enables them to complete all visa, customs, and health requirements at their airport of origin, sparing them from spending a lot of time waiting. Pilgrims may enter the Kingdom once they have completed the visa and customs procedures back home.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the annual pilgrimage, attracts 31,600 Malaysians this year.
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The Makkah Route is used to facilitate travel for those leaving from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and Saudi immigration officials look after them.
According to Mohammed Naser Jaffar, director of media operations for Tabung Hajji, Malaysia's Hajj board, "it is a successful programme in facilitating the movement of pilgrims through immigration and customs at KLIA and the airports in Madinah and Jeddah," he said. He also thanked the Saudi government for providing the unique service "for the comfort of Malaysian Hajj pilgrims."
Nuryutta Yahya, who travelled to the Kingdom with her father, was one of those who took pleasure in the service.
"My father and I experienced the Makkah Route very smoothly,"
I'm glad and appreciative to be in Makkah. It is a blessing for me that I am still young.
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Yahya, like numerous other Malaysians, was touched by Saudi hospitality.
She said, "The Saudis here are very friendly. "They always greeted us Malaysians when we passed by," said the witness.
Another female pilgrim from Yahya's group, Khawlah Al-Azwar Mohd Lukmanuddin, praised her hosts' willingness to help whenever it was required.
"Even though many of us here don't speak Arabic, if we go to the mosque and ask for assistance, they will gladly help us," she said.
"They go above and beyond to assist.
