Okaz/Saudi Gazette GUESTS OF ALLAH Saudi missions abroad issued 3.6 million Umrah visas this season Hotels in Makkah can accommodate more than 1.4 million pilgrims a month Fewer pilgrims coming from Yemen and Syria. There are no pilgrims from Tunisia and Libya Turkish Umrah applications have exceeded 370,000 this year Sept. 13 is the deadline for the departure of Umrah performersMAKKAH – The number of Umrah performers is 25 to 30 percent higher this year, according to the Chairman of the National Committee for Haj and Umrah Sa'ad Jameel Al-Qurashi. Al-Qurashi commended the efforts of the organizations involved in serving those performing Umrah, and the classification of hotels in Makkah by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). Hotels in the holy city have the capacity to accommodate more than 1.4 million pilgrims a month, he said. He said the Umrah season has “not been affected a lot” by the smaller number of Arab pilgrims, even though fewer pilgrims are coming from Yemen and Syria this year, and there are no pilgrims from Tunisia and Libya. The number of Umrah overstayers cannot be determined until Sept. 13, the deadline for the departure of those performing the minor pilgrimage, Al-Qurashi said, adding that the rate of overstaying is very small, due to the measures taken by Umrah companies and their foreign agents. Turkish Umrah applications have exceeded 370,000 this year, representing a great increase compared to previous years, according to Turkish official figures. The number of people who want to make an Umrah journey to Makkah has increased 70 times over the last 10 years, said Ergün Yücel, deputy director general at the Directorate of Religious Affairs Pilgrimage and Umrah Services In Turkey. A total of 963,868 people have applied to go on the pilgrimage, adding that 329,313 of them are new applications and 634,555 are re
