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"Syria's first Hajj flight departed from Damascus International Airport on Saturday, carrying 340 pilgrims of varying ages and backgrounds en route to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Footage shows pilgrims gathering inside the airport terminal and completing travel procedures ahead of their journey. "This year has been much better than the ones before, thank God. We faced no difficulties whatsoever with registration, booking, or obtaining approvals," said Mohammed Tarrab, a pilgrim from Damascus. "We were a little bit concerned about the ongoing situation and the rainfall, not to mention the six-hour wait at the airport. However, all these fears vanished when we arrived here as everything was entirely different," added another pilgrim, Ghalia Drizme. Mohammed Adeeb Al-Hussein, the supervisor of Syrian airports and director of pilgrim transport operations, said that around 11,000 pilgrims are expected to depart from Damascus Airport and another 10,000 from Aleppo. "We have rehabilitated the infrastructure at Damascus Airport. [...] We also prepared an external waiting lounge with capacity of 500 pilgrims, equipped with air-conditioning systems, ablution areas and washing facilities," Al-Hussein added. He noted that authorities have prepared a contingency plan in case Syrian airspace is closed during the Hajj season. The alternative arrangement would reroute pilgrims through Aleppo International Airport and a maritime corridor to Jeddah. "Arrangements for this plan have already been coordinated through meetings involving the Civil Aviation Authority, land and sea border authorities, and the Ministry of Endowments," he said. The Syrian Ministry of Endowments said that flights will continue until May 21, noting that the Hajj and Umrah Administration is overseeing pilgrim briefings and facilitating travellers' movement through the airport via a dedicated group-based service system. Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage required for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake it. The spiritual journey brings together Muslims from around the world in pursuit of self-purification and a deeper connection with God. The pilgrimage includes a series of rites performed in and around Mecca, including standing at Arafat - considered the central rite of Hajj - overnighting in Muzdalifah, the symbolic stoning ritual in Mina, circumambulating the Kaaba and walking between Safa and Marwa."
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