Written by Hind Mokhtar – Photography by Suleiman Al-Atifi

Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, chaired the Supreme Hajj Committee meeting yesterday evening, attended by a number of senior officials including Eng. Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport; Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities; Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity; Dr. Osama Al-Azhari, Minister of Endowments; Mohamed Gabr, Minister of Labor; Montaser Manaa, Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation; Dr. Amr Kandil, Deputy Minister of Health and Population; Ambassador Ihab Fahmy, Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs; Ambassador Haddad Al-Gohary, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs; Major General Tarek Abdel Razek, Assistant Secretary-General of the Cabinet for Financial and Administrative Affairs; Major General Ahmed Abdo, Assistant Minister of Interior for Administrative Affairs; and officials from relevant ministries and agencies.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the committee’s meeting aims to achieve effective coordination among all relevant parties to ensure readiness and preparedness to provide the best services to Egyptian pilgrims during the upcoming Hajj season, ensuring the performance of rituals with ease and convenience.

The meeting discussed the proposed regulations for the upcoming Hajj season of 1447 Hijri / 2026 Gregorian, with the Prime Minister directing full coordination with the Saudi side to implement various regulations that contribute to the safety of all pilgrims and the best performance of the rituals.

Major General Tarek Abdel Razek presented an evaluation of last year’s Hajj season (1446 Hijri) and the share of each internal entity of the visas allocated to Egyptian pilgrims. He pointed out several positive aspects, including obtaining distinguished locations for the tent camps in both Arafat and Mina, additional space for camps in Mina, and the Egyptian Pilgrims Affairs Office being honored for the first time with an Excellence Award among 8 countries in the Islamic world. He also highlighted some challenges faced by the mission and the measures taken to address them.

The meeting reviewed the medical procedures and examinations that Egyptian pilgrims undergo annually according to the regulations set by the Ministry of Health and Population, as well as the steps for electronically registering the health data of each patient to provide distinguished medical services to Egyptian pilgrims. It was also noted that EgyptAir’s fleet is fully prepared to transport all Egyptian pilgrims.