Ministry of Hajj and Umrah

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is responsible for implementing the program of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the field of serving Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. Its responsibilities include enhancing services, proposing and preparing laws and implementing regulations, and monitoring the work of the civil sectors it oversees.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah was established in 1962 and was originally named the Ministry of Hajj and Endowments. It is the only ministry at a global level specialized in organizing and receiving all those wishing to perform religious rites. Furthermore, it is the only ministry at the level of the Council of Ministers whose main headquarters is located in Makkah al-Mukarramah, due to its proximity to the holy sites in the cities of Makkah al-Mukarramah and al-Madinah al-Munawwarah.

The Ministry is led by a minister who is appointed by a Royal Order, and he is the primary person responsible for the ministry, also serving as a member of the Council of Ministers. Hussein bin Ali Arab was the first to hold the position of Minister of Hajj and Endowments in the Kingdom in 1962, during the reign of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The current logo of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah was launched in 2018 to express its identity and the sanctity inspired by the Holy Kaaba and the Mosque of His Messenger Muhammed, peace be upon him. The logo consists of a design inspired by the tents of Mina, with al-Kaaba al-Musharrafa at the center, surrounded by the dome of the Prophet's Mosque and the Holy Quran. In addition, there is a symbolic drawing of two crossed swords as a national logo for the Kingdom, and to the left is the name of the ministry in both Arabic and English.

The master plan of the ministry includes governmental and civil sectors working in the field of Hajj and Umrah, starting with the Supreme Hajj Committee, branching into the Central Hajj Committee and the Hajj Committee in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, followed by several entities in the Hajj sector and others in the Umrah sector.

In 2020, a new organizational structure was issued for the Ministry, which included seven main agencies, three assistant agencies, twenty-four general administrations, and seven administrative and training centers, in addition to the establishment, cancellation, and renaming of a number of agencies, departments, and sectors.

Several agencies and departments in the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah are directly linked to the Minister, including the Ministry's Agency for International Cooperation, the Ministry's Agency for Shared Services, the General Administration of Media and Corporate Communication, the Central Booking Engine Management, the Strategy and Performance Management Center, the General Administration for Legal Affairs, the General Administration for Internal Audit, the General Administration for Administrative and Financial Affairs, and the Hajj and Umrah Information Center.

Several agencies within the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah are directly linked to the Deputy Minister. These include the Agency for Umrah Affairs, the Agency for Hajj Affairs, the Agency for Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims Services, the Agency for Visit Affairs, and the Agency for Planning and Digital Transformation.

The earliest beginnings of organizing the reception of pilgrims date back to the era of the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, who ordered the establishment of the General Directorate of Hajj. Its name was then modified to the General Administration of Hajj under the supervision of the Minister of Finance. After about nine years, a Royal Order was issued to transform the administration into the Ministry of Hajj and Endowments. The ministry continued with this name until 1993 when it became the Ministry of Hajj. Then a decision was issued to separate the endowment sector into an independent ministry. Similarly, supervision over the affairs of the Two Holy Mosques and the factory of al-Kaaba al-Musharrafa's Kiswa was separated from it. On May 7, 2016, a Royal Order was issued to modify the name of the Ministry of Hajj to become the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.