CAIRO: The umrah season has ended with the return of the last of the umrah pilgrimage groups today, according to Egyptian Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour. Umrah is considered the ‘minor' pilgrimage to the Muslim holy site of Media, where the ‘hajj' is the greater pilgrimage to Mecca. Nour said the transportation crisis during umrah this year did not affect the season overall, and he promised that the crisis – which saw thousands of travelers stranded in Saudi airports for days – will not happen again. Nour said Saudi authorities have taken steps to prevent any similar crisis in the future. A total of 700,000 people performed the umrah pilgrimage this year according to Nour, a sharp increase from last year's 575,000. Nour said his ministry's mission in Saudi Arabic did its best to resolve all complaints in cooperation with Saudi authorities. In related news, Nour held a meeting with the religious committee earlier. The committee presented a report to the minister about the umrah season.
