it, Saudi Arabia is faced with an extra burden. Saudi Arabia has an extra burden thrust upon it by the presence of a million-and-a-half pilgrims. Saudi Arabia has an extra burden thrust upon it by the presence of a million-and-a-half pilgrims, for which it must provide housing, feeding, and transport. Saudi Arabia has an extra burden thrust upon it in providing for a million-and-a-half pilgrims, since these visitors will be concentrated in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina for 15 days. They must be housed, fed, and transported back to their homes. The housing problem is not easy, for in Mecca alone some 700,000 visitors have to be accommodated, and in Medina another 400,000. The food problem is even more difficult, for, apart from the normal needs of the permanent population, there must be enough food to feed the pilgrims, and enough to spare for any eventualities. The transport of so many persons from the coast to the holy cities and back again is no small task, especially in a land where railways are few and far-between, and roads mainly non-existent.
Original dispatch: Saudi Arabia: 1.5 million join Hajj pilgrimage despite war