More than 1.8M 巡礼者s gather in メッカ ahead of the hajj

By Associated 圧力（をかける）

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JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia says more than 1.8 million イスラム教徒s from around the world have arrived in the country to 参加する the hajj 巡礼の旅 that starts on Friday.

The Director General of パスポートs, Gen. Suleiman al-Yehya, 発表するd the 人物／姿／数字 Wednesday, 説 の近くに to 970,000 male and 868,000 女性（の） 巡礼者s had arrived to Saudi Arabia for the hajj. In total, more than 2 million people, 含むing Saudis and 国外追放／海外移住 居住（者）s of the kingdom, are 推定する／予想するd to take part this year.

イスラム教徒s are 要求するd to 成し遂げる the five-day hajj once in their lifetime. The 巡礼の旅 is meant to draw the faithful closer to God.

The Saudi 政府 has spent billions of dollars to 改善する the safety of the 巡礼の旅 in 最近の years, 特に in Mina where the deadliest 出来事/事件s have occurred.

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

イスラム教徒 巡礼者s circumambulate around the Kaaba, the 立方（体）の building at the Grand イスラム教寺院, ahead of the Hajj 巡礼の旅 in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The tallest clock tower in the world with the world's largest clock face, atop the Abraj Al-Bait Towers, overshadows Muslim pilgrims as they circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The tallest clock tower in the world with the world's largest clock 直面する, 頂上に the Abraj Al-Bait Towers, 影を投げかけるs イスラム教徒 巡礼者s as they circumambulate around the Kaaba, the 立方（体）の building at the Grand イスラム教寺院, in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

イスラム教徒 巡礼者s circumambulate around the Kaaba, the 立方（体）の building at the Grand イスラム教寺院, ahead of the Hajj 巡礼の旅 in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Musli m holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

イスラム教徒 巡礼者s circumambulate around the Kaaba, the 立方（体）の building at the Grand イスラム教寺院, ahead of the Hajj 巡礼の旅 in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

イスラム教徒 巡礼者s circumambulate around the Kaaba, the 立方（体）の building at the Grand イスラム教寺院, ahead of the Hajj 巡礼の旅 in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim pilgrims touch the golden door of the the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

イスラム教徒 巡礼者s touch the golden door of the the Kaaba, the 立方（体）の building at the Grand イスラム教寺院, ahead of the Hajj 巡礼の旅 in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In this picture taken with slow shutter speed, Muslim pilgrims pray past Maqam Ibrahim or The Station of Abraham, the golden glass structure, center, at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims have arrived in the kingdom to participate in the annual hajj pilgrimage, which starts Saturday, a ritual required of all able-bodied Muslims at least once in their life. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In this picture taken with slow shutter 速度(を上げる）, イスラム教徒 巡礼者s pray past Maqam Ibrahim or The 駅／配置する of Abraham, the golden glass structure, 中心, at the Grand イスラム教寺院 in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Hundreds of thousands of イスラム教徒s have arrived in the kingdom to 参加する in the 年次の hajj 巡礼の旅, which starts Saturday, a ritual 要求するd of all able-団体／死体d イスラム教徒s at least once in their life. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, salutes before a press conference in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Sulaiman said as of Wednesday, a total of 1,819,790 hajj pilgrims have arrived to Saudi Arabia through air, land and sea ports, according to statistics issued by the Saudi General Directorate of Passports. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The Director General of パスポートs Maj. Gen. Sulaiman 貯蔵所 Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, salutes before a 圧力（をかける） 会議／協議会 in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Sulaiman said as of Wednesday, a total of 1,819,790 hajj 巡礼者s have arrived to Saudi Arabia through 空気／公表する, land and s ea ports, によれば 統計（学） 問題／発行するd by the Saudi General Directorate of パスポートs. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, speaks at a press conference in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The general said that as of Wednesday, a total of 1,819,790 hajj pilgrims have arrived to Saudi Arabia through air, land and sea ports, according to statistics issued by the Saudi General Directorate of Passports. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The Director General of パスポートs Maj. Gen. Sulaiman 貯蔵所 Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, speaks at a 圧力（をかける） 会議／協議会 in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. The general said that as of Wednesday, a total of 1,819,790 hajj 巡礼者s have arrived to Saudi Arabia through 空気／公表する, land and sea ports, によれば 統計（学） 問題／発行するd by the Saudi General Directorate of パスポートs. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Saudi police officers monitor screens displaying the Grand Mosque, at the 911 monitoring center, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Saudi police officers 監視する 審査するs 陳列する，発揮するing the Grand イスラム教寺院, at the 911 監視するing 中心, ahead of the Hajj 巡礼の旅 in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The hajj occurs once a year during the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar year. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The tallest clock tower in the world with the world's largest clock face, atop the Abraj Al-Bait Towers, overshadows Muslim pilgrims as they circumambulate around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The tallest clock tower in the world with the world's largest clock 直面する, 頂上に the Abraj Al-Bait Towers, 影を投げかけるs イスラム教徒 巡礼者s as they circumambulate around the Kaaba, the 立方（体）の building at the Grand イスラム教寺院, in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A Muslim pilgrim prays in front of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. The annual Hajj pilgrimage draws millions of visitors each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people in the world. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A イスラム教徒 巡礼者 prays in 前線 of the Kaaba, the 立方（体）の building at the Grand イスラム教寺院, ahead of the 年次の Hajj 巡礼の旅 in the イスラム教徒 宗教上の city of メッカ, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. The 年次の Hajj 巡礼の旅 draws millions of 訪問者s each year, making it the largest 年一回の 集会 of people in the world. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

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