Saudi Arabia's New Rule for Hajj Pilgrims: Married Couples Will No Longer Stay in the Same Room
Saudi Arabia: In a significant policy change, the Saudi Arabian government has announced that during Hajj, husbands and wives will no longer be allowed to stay in the same room. This new regulation will be enforced starting from the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, with male and female pilgrims being housed in separate rooms. Additionally, men will not be permitted to enter the rooms of female pilgrims.
Every year, approximately 175,000 people travel from India to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. Last year, 17,976 pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh alone participated in the pilgrimage. The Haj Committee of India typically rents hotels and buildings in Saudi Arabia to accommodate the pilgrims, often placing men and women from the same state in shared rooms. However, the Saudi government has now mandated that male and female pilgrims must stay in separate rooms.
Special Exemption for Indian Pilgrims Ends
Liaqat Ali Afaki, the CEO of the Haj Committee of India, explained that while pilgrims from other countries have always been housed separately by gender, Indian pilgrims were previously allowed to stay together due to their advanced age and lower literacy levels. This exception was made to accommodate the unique needs of Indian pilgrims, but there were complaints that sharing rooms compromised the privacy of women. These concerns were communicated to the Saudi government, leading to the new regulations.
New Accommodation Guidelines
In the upcoming Hajj season, pilgrims will be grouped not by state, but by district, with each district’s pilgrims staying in the same building. Although husbands and wives will no longer share a room, their rooms will be located nearby to allow for easy assistance if needed. Each floor will have a reception area where couples can meet and talk. Additionally, the age limit for the elderly category has been lowered from 70 to 65 years, and these elderly pilgrims will be housed together. Women traveling without a Mahram (male guardian) will also be housed together.
This new policy is expected to enhance the comfort and privacy of female pilgrims during the Hajj pilgrimage.
