At 130 years old, Sarahouda Stiti who hails from the Northern African country of Algeria is the world’s oldest Hajj pilgrim. She was received warmly in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, 12th of June, upon her arrival to perform Hajj this season, according to a report by Gulf Today.
Another report by The Siasat Daily revealed that the 130-year-old Algerian made the required arrangements to take the state of Ihram, before departing on her expedition,
Saudi Airlines honored her arrival as the Kingdom’s oldest pilgrim. The Saudi company announced the arrival of Algeria’s oldest pilgrim on its official X account.
So far for this year’s Hajj, multiple foreign entities have landed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to conduct one of Islam’s five pillars.
Officials from Saudi Arabia are all set to welcome approximately 1.5 million pilgrims who will make the Haj pilgrimage beginning this week. It appears that the numbers will rise subsequently.
What is Hajj?
According to Islamic Relief UK, Hajj is a religious pilgrimage that every Muslim must perform at least once in their lifetime; it is one of Islam’s five pillars. Every year, millions of Muslims from all over the world go to conduct Hajj at Makkah, modern-day Saudi Arabia.
Hajj will take place this year from June 14th to June 19th, 2024, according to the Gregorian calendar.
It takes place at the same time every year, in the sacred month of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. Hajj begins on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah and lasts between five and six days, depending on the sighting of the moon. When the new crescent moon appears, Muslims all across the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, a four-day holiday.
