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Iranians make first umrah pilgrimage after nine-year hiatus
The first group of pilgrims departed Iran for Saudi Arabia through the Shahid Hashemi Nejad Airport in northeastern city of Mashhad.
They are the first Iranians to make the pilgrimage since Tehran and Riyadh agreed in a China-brokered deal last year to restore ties and reopen their respective embassies after more than seven years. Saudi Arabia and Iran severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were stormed during protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
The Saudi Ambassador to Tehran, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anazi, was present at the Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, along with several Iranian officials to send off another group of pilgrims.
A total of 5,720 Iranian umrah pilgrims are expected to head to Saudi Arabia this year for the umrah pilgrimage.
Umrah differs from Hajj in that the latter is a lengthier visit which is done once a year and performed once in a lifetime by able-bodied Muslims who can afford it.