15:44, 24 August 2017

First groups of Azerbaijani pilgrims go to Hajj

Pilgrims in the Jamaraat building during the ritual of throwing pebbles at the walls. Photo © Sputnik / Mikhail Voskresensky

Today, the first 360 pilgrims from Azerbaijan on two planes flew from Baku to Saudi Arabia. In total, 900 people will go to the Hajj from Azerbaijan, the Caucasus Muslims Office reported.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 27, the Pilgrimage Department of the Caucasian Muslims Office began accepting documents from the people wishing to go to the Hajj. The cost of a trip, including air travel, accommodation and meals in hotels, and costs in Saudi Arabia was 3850 US dollars.

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is a pilgrimage to Mecca, a sacred place for Muslims. People go to the Hajj at the beginning of the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar Dhu al-Hijjah. Every Muslim should go to the Hajj at least once in life.

Despite the quota of 600 people for Azerbaijan, additional 300 people were added to the list of pilgrims later.

This year, 60% pilgrims going to the Hajj from Azerbaijan are men. The oldest pilgrim is 86 years old, while the youngest is 17 years old, the "Sputnik Azerbaijan" reports.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.