Hajj Concludes Sunday, Pilgrims to Self-Isolate

Hajj pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Hajj pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Hajj Concludes Sunday, Pilgrims to Self-Isolate

Hajj pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Hajj pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The Hajj pilgrimage will end on Sunday with worhsippers performing the final “farewell” tawaf, or circumambulation of the holy Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Makkah city.

The pilgrims will conclude their holy journey with home isolation as part of the ongoing precautions against the novel coronavirus.

The pilgrims will kick off the final day of the Hajj at dawn on Sunday with the ritual stoning of the devil, by collecting small, medium and large stones, said Saudi deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Abdul Fattah al-Mashat.

They will then head to Mina and at 4:00 pm, they will depart to the Grand Mosque for the final tawaf.

They will be tested for the coronavirus soon after concluding the rituals ahead of their departure from Makkah, he added.

The first day of the stoning of the devil began on Saturday amid heavy security and health measures. Authorities ensured that social distancing measures were adopted and the pilgrims were presented with a souvenir gift from the Hajj and Umrah Ministry on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

The disinfection of the Grand Mosque continued on Saturday. The holy mosque has been disinfected at a rate of ten times per day.

The Saudi Health Ministry said there have been no cases of the COVID-19 illness among this year's pilgrims. Government precautions included testing pilgrims for the virus, monitoring their movement with electronic wristbands and requiring them to quarantine before and after.



Syrian Air Says It Is Resuming Its Direct Flights to UAE on Sunday

 Travellers are welcomed at Damascus's airport. (AFP file)
Travellers are welcomed at Damascus's airport. (AFP file)
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Syrian Air Says It Is Resuming Its Direct Flights to UAE on Sunday

 Travellers are welcomed at Damascus's airport. (AFP file)
Travellers are welcomed at Damascus's airport. (AFP file)

Syria's flag carrier Syrian Air will resume direct flights to Dubai and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates starting on Sunday, the airline said in a Facebook post.

All flights between Syria and the UAE had been suspended in January after opposition factions toppled former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

The announcement comes days after the UAE's civil aviation authority announced the resumption of air flights between the Gulf country and Syria. No UAE-based airlines have announced plans to fly to Syria so far.

The resumption of flights between the two countries followed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s first visit to the UAE as leader, where he met UAE's President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.