Makkah, June 24 -- Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has approved the hosting of 1,000 Umrah pilgrims from around the world at his personal expense. The initiative is part of the Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Programme for Hajj, Umrah and Visit, implemented by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance.

The programme will be carried out in four phases during the 1448 AH year. The first phase will host 250 male and female Umrah pilgrims from 16 Asian countries: Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mongolia.

Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance and General Supervisor of t...