Over 3800 Dagestanis plan to visit Mecca this year

On September 8, Dagestan completes receiving documents from those who want to perform the Hajj.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that this year's quota for Russia for the Hajj is 16,400 persons, including 6200 possible pilgrims from Dagestan. However, due to the increased exchange rate of the US dollar, Muslims of this republic managed to buy out only 3500 Hajj vouchers.

Hajj (one of the five main pillars of Islam), a pilgrimage to the Muslim holy Mecca, is performed at the beginning of the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar – the Dhu al-Hijjah. Hajj is prescribed at least once in a lifetime for every Muslim man or woman, who has reached the age of majority and has a possibility to do so.

As reported by Akhmad Khabibov, the head of the united Hajj-Centre, the three Dagestani accredited companies will send about 3800 Dagestani Muslims to Hajj; and about 500 pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia from other regions.

Let us note here that for the past three years the Charitable Foundation of Suleiman Kerimov has been provided 3000 vouchers annually for Dagestanis to make Hajj free of charge. This year, there are no free vouchers, said Khabibov. However, in his opinion, this was not the main reason of non-buying out the whole quota.

Let us remind you that in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) this year's quotas for the Hajj were fully bought out only by Chechnya and Ingushetia. Most regions of the NCFD, as well as the Krasnodar Territory and Adygea, have fixed a decline in demand for travel to Saudi Arabia.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.