Two million Muslims gathered at Mount Arafat on Thursday for a vigil to atone for their sins, then descended to Muzdalifa to prepare for the final stages of the annual hajj pilgrimage.

More than two million Muslims from around the world began the hajj pilgrimage at Islam's holiest sites yesterday, a religious duty and an epic multi-stage journey.

Two million Muslims from across the globe are converging on Makkah in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, a religious duty and for some pilgrims the journey of a lifetime.

Around 300 pilgrims could not fly to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj this year due to fraudulence of at least “four hajj agencies and their brokers”.

Two million Muslims from across the globe are converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, a religious duty and for some pilgrims the journey of a lifetime.

Although over 100 pilgrims yesterday staged demonstrations at the city's Hajj Camp for uncertainty over performing hajj, officials at the camp and Biman said all pilgrims will now be able to fly to Saudi Arabia as the national flight carrier got approval to operate eight additional hajj flights.

Hajj agents have sent visa applications and documents of almost all pilgrims to the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka within the deadline that expired yesterday.

Visa application deadline for the intending Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims has been extended to August 20 from August 17, hajj camp director says.

At least 163 of the 171-member “Hajj Assistant Delegation” the religious affairs ministry sent to Saudi Arabia to help a Bangladeshi medical team treat pilgrims have no background in medicine.

In wake of backlogging in transporting hajjis to Mecca, Bangladesh government has decided to turn all Saudi Arabia-bound flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines to hajji carriers. Also, hajjis will be urged to hurry in making their journey to Mecca for a confirm journey.

A total of 105 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims, who missed their flights to Saudi Arabia yesterday, fly from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

The first hajj flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying 418 pilgrims reaches Jeddah safely.

The government extends the deadline for this year’s Hajj registration to April 23. Earlier in the day, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab), the private body for Hajj arrangement, suspended its registration process demanding more time.