Slogan of Hajj 1404: Hajj, Quranic conduct, Islamic Convergence and Support for Oppressed Palestine; 85,850 Capacities for Hajj 1404 Created So Far

According to the Hajj Information Base, the last meeting of the Planning Council of the Supreme Leader’s Hajj and Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization in 1403 was held in the presence of Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Abdolfattah Navvab, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs, Alireza Bayat, the head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, and the deputies and directors of the Supreme Leader’s mission and those of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization. In this meeting, they referred to the proposed slogans and themes, and 'Hajj, Quranic Conduct, Islamic Convergence, and Support for Oppressed Palestine' was announced as the slogan for Hajj 1404. Alireza Bayat, the head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, also mentioned in this meeting the plans made to improve services and reduce problems, and noted that "God willing, efforts will be made to ensure that next year will be a better year than 1403 in the field of Hajj and Pilgrimage." In another part of this meeting, Akbar Rezaei, Deputy Director of Hajj and Umrah Affairs of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, presented a comparative report on the planning and scheduling of the administrative affairs of Hajj 1404 with Hajj 1403. According to this report, in Hajj 1404, in addition to Iran Air, NAS Air has also been added to the transportation of Iranian pilgrims with a capacity of 18,500 people, while in 1403, all flights were operated only by Iran Air. Regarding the visas issued for the past Hajj, Rezaei said: The number of visas issued for Hajj 1403 was 85,550 people, and this year, 85,850 capacity has been created for Hajj 1404 so far. He noted that last year, 622 caravans participated in Hajj, but the number of caravans planned for Hajj 1404 this year is 575 caravans so far. Regarding the capacity of the caravans, the deputy for Hajj and Umrah Affairs of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization also said that the capacity of the caravans in Hajj 1404 will be 95 people, 120 people, 135 people, and 165 people; therefore, we will not have a caravan of 185 people in Hajj 1404. Referring to the old fleet of some companies in urban transportation in Medina and Mecca in Hajj 1403, he said that in Hajj 1404, two new Saudi companies with buses not older than 2023 will be used. Regarding nutrition, the Deputy Director of Hajj and Umrah Affairs of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization also said that in Hajj 1404, we will see an increase in food variety and an increase in hot breakfast meals for pilgrims. Regarding accommodation, Rezaei also said that in Hajj 1404, the number of paired hotels will increase from 2 to 4 hotels and the capacity of these hotels will increase from 1,450 to 2,650 people. He also pointed out that hotels with negative reports in Hajj 1403 will be removed from the Hajj 1404 accommodation cycle and said that 5-person rooms have also been removed from the accommodation cycle in the upcoming Hajj and accommodations will be provided in rooms with a maximum of 4 people. Continuing the meeting, the Head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, referring to the faster start of the implementation of Hajj 1404 compared to Hajj 1403, said that this should be done even earlier next year than this year in order to witness better service. He also pointed out some administrative problems in the host country regarding Hajj and emphasized that we are seeking to solve these problems through continuous follow-up. In this meeting, Nasrollah Farahmand, CEO of the Umrah Saadat Cultural Institute, which is responsible for implementing the Umrah operation, presented a report on the Umrah dispatch operation in 1403 and said that in the second period of dispatch this year, 182,000 people have been dispatched to Saudi Arabia so far and we have not had any particular problems. He said that the necessary negotiations and appropriate measures have begun for next year's Umrah; for example, for dispatches, in addition to Iran Air, we have also had negotiations with NAS and Al Jazeera airlines. In this meeting, it was emphasized that one of the main problems of Umrah pilgrims was the issue of flight delays, and therefore, serious thought should be given to this issue. Hojjat al-Islam Navvab also thanked for the measures taken in 1403 in the field of Umrah and the reduction of problems compared to the past, and said that a calendar should be set for the necessary meetings in the field of diagnosing and resolving the existing problems of Umrah pilgrims. He added that this year there were problems in the field of accommodation and intercity transportation that should be resolved; for example, some Umrah pilgrims were supposed to be sent from Medina to Mecca by train, but this was not possible and they left by bus. Therefore, the difference in transportation costs should be refunded to their accounts. In another part of the meeting, Morteza Aghaei, Deputy Head of the Shrines of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, reported on the organization’s Nowruz expeditions to the holy sites of Iraq. He said: Nowruz expeditions to the holy sites began on Esfand 23, 1403 and will continue until Farvardin 8, 1404. Stating that 26,000 people will be sent by land and 8,000 by air in 850 convoys during the Nowruz operation, he said that if we compare this figure with the previous Nowruz, we will witness a 15 percent increase. Referring to increased monitoring of hotels and the transportation of pilgrims to the holy sites, he continued that this year we prevented the price increase that was created for Nowruz in previous years. The Deputy Head of Shrines of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization also announced that meetings have been held between the officials of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization and the Central Bank to allocate foreign currency to pilgrims of the shrines who are sent to Iraq by land routes, and this issue will, God willing, be resolved after Eid and foreign currency will be paid to land pilgrims in dinars. In the continuation of this meeting, Hamid Reza Mohammadi, Deputy Head of Management and Resources Development of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, presented a report on the measures taken in this organization in the field of cultural and welfare affairs, smartening services, and human resource development. The development of e-government was another topic emphasized by Mohammadi, and the measures taken in the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization in this regard were explained. According to this report, the representative of the Supreme Leader for Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs, at the beginning of this meeting, while congratulating the birth of Imam Hassan Mujtaba (AS) and offering condolences on the martyrdom of Imam Ali (AS), spoke about the need to pay special attention to the holy month of Ramadan and self-knowledge and self-improvement during this month. Referring to the life of some great scholars, including Imam Khomeini (RA), during this month, he emphasized that we must take care to use the opportunity of this month properly and well and not miss this great blessing.