Tajik authorities are expected to tighten control over selection of Hajj pilgrims for Hajj 2017.

Deputy Prime Minister, Azim Ibrohim, held a meeting at the end of last week to discuss preparations for this year’s Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, a source in the Tajik government told Asia-Plus in an interview.

Speaking at the meeting, Ibrohim reportedly noted that the main task of organizers of the Hajj was to create all necessary conditions for Tajik Hajj pilgrims. 

The deputy prime minister ordered relevant agencies to check living conditions and financial opportunities of people wanting to perform the Hajj this year, the source said. 

According to him, Azim Ibrohim pointed to the necessity of strictly observing norms of the country’s legislation while selecting candidates for Hajj 2017. 

Quota for Tajikistan has not been yet, the source added.  

This year, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca is expected to approximately take place between August 30, 2017 and September 4, 2017.

According to the Committee on religious Affairs (CRA) under the Government of Tajikistan, 6,000 Muslims performed the Hajj last year.  

Recall, Tajik authorities have introduced new age restrictions for those who want to perform the Hajj.  Citizens under the age of 40 are no longer allowed to perform the Hajj.

According to the CRA officials, the aim of the decision to introduce new age restrictions is to give older people an opportunity to achieve their dream to perform the Hajj.

The new age limit of 40 has been raised from the limit of 35 that was instituted in April last year.

For the first time the CRA introduced age restrictions on those who want to perform the Hajj in 2010.  Only citizens aged 18 to 80 were able to perform the Hajj.

In 2016, Tajik pilgrims had to pay 3,600 U.S. dollars for the Hajj this year.  This amount reportedly included travel expenses, board and lodging, special clothing with the national flag, purchase of animal for sacrificing, guide services, medical insurance, vaccinations, etc.

The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so.  The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God.  The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar.  Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year.