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View all search resultsIndonesia speeds up plans for haj village project in Mecca
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Indonesian pilgrims walk from Muzdalifah to Mina in Saudi Arabia in this file photo. (Antara/Andika Wahyu)
T
he government is accelerating plans to build special accommodation for Indonesian pilgrims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with construction of the so-called haj village expected to begin as early as the end of this year, following an instruction from President Prabowo Subianto to improve services.
Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Romo Muhammad Syafi’i said the government had been working to start the establishment of the haj village soon, noting that its funding would come from the state budget, the Haj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) and state asset fund Danantara.
“Hopefully, the construction [of the haj village] will begin by the end of this year or early next year,” Syafi’i said during a work visit to Batam, Riau Islands, on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.
He said it would accommodate between 300,000 and 500,000 pilgrims if the government could secure two sites it is eyeing: a 50-hectare plot of land in Jabal Omar under a 100-year Saudi concession, and a 38.6-ha plot near the Grand Mosque inherited from the late Surakarta king Pakubuwono X.
“Even outside the haj season, this facility can be used by umrah [minor haj] pilgrims from Indonesia or rented out to pilgrims from other countries,” Syafi’i added.
The haj village is expected to also provide services like healthcare and logistical support for pilgrims performing the haj, which involves visiting the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque.
Read also: Indonesia gains approval to build haj village near Grand Mosque in Mecca
