INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Iranian haj pilgrims travelled to evening prayers in Mecca's Grand Mosque in a brand new bus this week, as reconciliation between Saudi
Arabia and Iran led to improved services for the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites, Reuters reported on Friday.Sayid Mahdi, who
will be in charge of around 2,800 Iranian pilgrims that will perform haj next week, said Saudi Arabia has been more cooperative in finding
hotels for Iranians this year."We thank God that this is improving," he said
next week for the 2023 haj season after removing all COVID-19 restrictions for the first time since 2019
diplomatic rift following years of hostility that had fueled regional conflicts and made it sometimes difficult for Iranians to perform haj
and umrah.Umrah is another form of pilgrimage to Mecca which - unlike haj - can be carried out at any time of the year.Iranian pilgrim
Mohammed Hosseini landed in Mecca on Thursday, five days before the annual gathering starts, seeking to perform both umrah and haj in one
trip."I am very happy that relations between the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia are improving..
symbolize purity and equality before God.Haj, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it, is a major source of
income for Saudi Arabia from worshippers' lodging, transport, fees and gifts.Balloons and haj slogans in Farsi decorated the Al-Mozn hotel
where Hosseini, and other pilgrims from the Iranian city of Shiraz, stayed in Mecca."Haj will be a Koranic evolution, Islamic convergence
and defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque," read one of the signs, referring to Islam's third holiest shrine in Beit-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem)."I
witnessed a very good Haj this year
We have come here in complete peace," said Mojtabi Laliany, another Iranian pilgrim from Mahdi's campaign.
