On June 23, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov signed a Decree allowing 275 pilgrims to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj between July 2 and 22.
The document ordered the Türkmehowaýollary agency to carry out a special flight at its own expense to deliver pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and back.
On June 1, Serdar Berdimuhamedov visited Saudi Arabia, where, together with his son Kerimguly , he performed Umrah (small Hajj).
In 2020 and 2021, the country did not receive pilgrims due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ferghana publication writes that if before the pandemic, Saudi Arabia allowed more than 2 million people to perform the Hajj, then in 2022 up to 1 million Muslims will be able to do it. Accordingly, quotas for most countries have been significantly reduced.
For example, if the quota of Russian Muslims before the pandemic was 25 thousand people, then this year only 11,318 people will go on the Hajj. The quota for Tajiks was cut from 6,000 to 3,500, and for Kyrgyzstanis, from 5,485 to 2,766 people.
However, the quota for Uzbeks has been increased to 10,865 people. In 2019, it amounted to 7200 people. For Turkmenistan, it is also increased: in 2019, 160 people performed the Hajj, in 2018 – 153 people, in 2017 – 160 people.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan