Saudi Arabia Islamic Pilgrimage Complete Guide 2026: Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Hajj and Umrah
Browse more guides: Saudi Arabia travel | Asia destinations Saudi Arabia Islamic Pilgrimage Complete Guide 2026: Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Hajj and Umrah TL;DR I have spent three years tracking pilgrim logistics in Saudi Arabia, so let me be honest about this guide. This is a Muslim-audience pilgrimage guide. Mecca is closed to non-Muslims by Saudi law, and the central Haram zone of Medina is also restricted. If you are not Muslim and want a tourist itinerary, skip ahead to my Jeddah, AlUla, and Riyadh guides linked at the bottom. For Muslim readers planning Hajj or Umrah in 2026, the calendar matters. Hajj 1447 AH falls in Dhu al-Hijjah, roughly late May or early June 2026, with exact dates set by moon sighting. Umrah is year-round, with Ramadan and the weeks after Hajj the busiest. Indian pilgrims travel through the Hajj Committee of India quota system of around 175,000 seats per year, while Umrah runs through the Saudi e-visa or a licensed operator. I cover the Grand Mosque and ...