Hajj Begins Thursday

Newswire.co.nz today reports that over 1.5 million Muslims have already arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj that begins on Thursday. The government's Supreme Hajj Committee coordinates the massive annual religious pilgrimage. The Health Ministry has over 9,600 medical personnel on hand to deal with medical issues, and has set up 21 field hospitals in Mecca and Medina. Ongoing news coverage of the 2006 Hajj is available from the Hajj Committee's website and from the website of the Saudi embassy in Washington.