Iran Press/ Iran News: Rostam Ghasemi, Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development, and Hojat al-Islam Sayed Abdul Fattah Nawab, Representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs, attended the see-off ceremony.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj, must be undertaken by all Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives.
The Hajj consists of a series of religious rites completed over five days in Islam's holiest city, Mecca, and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.
According to Iran Press News Agency, the Minister of Roads said in a speech that planning a safe journey for pilgrims is one of the duties of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
The Minister of Roads and Urban Development added: Pilgrims will be sent from 17 airports.
Hojat al-Islam Sayed Abdul Fattah Nawab, Representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs, also said in a speech that after a two-year break due to the coronavirus, Hajj rituals had been resumed.
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He added: "This year, less than 40,000 Iranians will go on Hajj and this is a great success."After the ceremony, the pilgrims left for Saudi Arabia from Imam Khomeini Airport at 7:30 on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia last month announced it would allow one million people – from both inside and outside the kingdom – to perform the Hajj, which will take place in July compared with about 60,000 last year and less than 1,000 in 2020.
Usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people participated in 2019 – the last Hajj before the coronavirus outbreak."Today we are happy to receive the guests of God from outside the kingdom, after a two-year interruption due to the pandemic," Mohammed al-Bijawi of the country's Hajj Ministry told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya channel, describing Saudi Arabia as "fully prepared" to accommodate them.
This year's pilgrimage will be limited to vaccinated Muslims below 65, Saudi's Hajj Ministry has said.
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