KABUL, Afghanistan—The Taliban’s Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs announced that 30,000 Afghans will travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage in the upcoming solar year, which begins on March 21, 2025.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul on Thursday, March 6, Noor Mohammad Saqib, the Taliban’s minister of Hajj and religious affairs, said flights for pilgrims will begin next month. He also stated that the Taliban had requested Saudi authorities to increase Afghanistan’s Hajj quota from 30,000 to 45,000.
The ministry has set this year’s cost for each pilgrim at 283,090 afghanis ($3,200), covering accommodations and other services in Saudi Arabia. The total estimated cost of the pilgrimage for Afghan pilgrims is expected to reach 8.27 billion afghanis ($93 million), Saqib said.
