Saudi Arabia to develop ritual sites in Mecca

Riyadh : Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced a comprehensive project to develop the ritual sites in Mecca, the media reported.

Mecca Governor Prince Khalid Al Faisal made the announcement at a press conference at the conclusion of the current Haj season.

He said that the details of the project will be announced soon and his country wants to increase the number of pilgrims to 5 million as part of its economic vision of 2030, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statistic authority announced this week that the number of pilgrims crossed the two million mark in this Haj season.

The governor said that his country doesn't stop citizens of any country from performing the Haj ritual, revealing that some Qataris managed to come to Saudi Arabia despite the ban imposed by their country. He added that 86,000 Iranians performed Haj this year.

Saudi Arabia has severed ties with both countries over allegations of supporting terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of states.