Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, announced that mahrams (blood relatives) are no longer required to accompany women pilgrims from anywhere in the world to perform Hajj or Umrah in Saudi Arabia.

In a press conference at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo on Monday, the minister ended the lingering controversy over whether or not a mahram must accompany a woman pilgrim.

SR200 billion has been spent on the expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the largest expansion in the mosque's history.

According to Al-Rabiah, there is no quota or ceiling on the number of Umrah visas that can be issued to Muslims worldwide. Muslims with any type of visa can perform Umrah in the Kingdom.

According to Al-Rabiah, Saudi Arabia is keen on reducing the costs of performing Hajj and Umrah. In addition, the minister noted the Kingdom's recent efforts to introduce and use modern technologies and digitize the services it provides to those who wish to visit the Two Holy Mosques.

As part of these efforts, robots were used to provide some services to pilgrims, as well as the development of the Nusk platform, which makes many services available to pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque. Through the platform, Umrah permits can be booked within a short period of time, and visas can be obtained within 24 hours," he added.