Turkey to cancel its hajj lottery next year: Turkey's religious head

ISTANBUL

No draw will take place in 2014, head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate Mehmet Görmez said. Hürriyet photo

People who have been waiting for the past seven years to make the hajj from Turkey will be granted the right to undertake the pilgrimage without having to participate in the 2014 draw, according to the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate.

No draw will take place in 2014, directorate head Mehmet Görmez said, adding that his institution would instead send the 90,000 people who have been waiting to take part in the journey since 2007. If the number exceeds Turkey’s quota for 2014, those remaining on the waiting list will be able to perform the hajj the following year, TRT Haber reported.

Around 1,372,200 people, 633,737 men and 738,444 women, entered their names for the 2013 draw, which took place today. The ceremony was attended by Görmez himself, according to Anatolia news agency.

During a recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Görmez signed a protocol regarding hajj rites that focused on the improvement of pilgrims’ conditions, including hygiene and entry to the country, as well as innovative ideas on how to make the ritual more efficient.

The five-day hajj rituals are attended by over 2 million Muslim pilgrims, a large majority of which are flown in from 189 countries to western Saudi Arabia.