Ministry Of Religion Ensures Indonesian Hajj Pilgrims Are Ready Ahead Of May 2 Departure

The Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) ensures that all services for Indonesian pilgrims in the Holy Land are ready, ahead of the start of the departure operation from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia on May 2, 2025.

"According to the direction of the Minister of Religion, we are trying to prepare services carefully and carefully in order to provide the best service to pilgrims," said Director of Foreign Hajj Services at the Ministry of Religion, Muchlis M. Hanafi, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, April 29.

Muchlis explained that services in Saudi Arabia cover five main aspects, namely consumption, transportation, accommodation, public services, and services during the peak of the pilgrimage in Masyair Muqaddasah.

For accommodation, the Ministry of Religion has prepared 205 hotels in Makkah and 95 hotels in Medina as places for the congregation to live. A total of 203,320 regular Hajj pilgrims will be served in the 300 hotels. In Makkah, the furthest distance of the hotel to the Grand Mosque reaches 4.5 kilometers, while all hotels in Medina are located in the Markaziyah area which is about one kilometer from the Prophet's Mosque.

In the transportation sector, the Ministry of Religion provides services in three areas. First, the inter-city transportation of the pilgrimage that serves the route of Medina 'Makkah, Jeddah'Makkah, Makkah'Jeddah, and Makkah'Madinah. Second, the Shalawat Bus service is to pick up pilgrims from the hotel to the Grand Mosque. Third, special transportation during the peak of the pilgrimage in Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina.

"These are the three main areas of transportation services for Indonesian pilgrims," said Muchlis.

For consumption services, the Ministry of Religion cooperates with 55 catering companies in Makkah and 21 companies in Medina. The congregation will get a total of 127 meals while in Saudi Arabia, consisting of 84 meals in Makkah, 15 meals at the peak of Hajj in Armuzna, and 27 meals in Medina.

"The total food demand reaches 25.8 million boxes," said Muchlis. He added that the Ministry of Religion also encourages the use of domestic products, especially cooking spices. From the need for 611 tons of spices, 475 tons have been met from Indonesia.

To anticipate traffic jams in Makkah on 7 to 15 Zulhijjah, the Ministry of Religion has prepared ready-to-eat food such as rendang and opor. To date, 2.4 million ready-to-eat food packages have been imported from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, in the peak service of the pilgrimage, the Ministry of Religion this year is working with eight companies to serve all congregants from arrival to return period, including in Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina.

"Eight of these companies will ensure that congregational services run smoothly during the peak procession of the pilgrimage," Muchlis concluded.