Faith
Hajj from Somalia: quota, cost and how pilgrims travel
Somalia's Hajj quota with Saudi Arabia is 11,500 pilgrims a year, signed again for the 2026 season. The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs sets a fixed package price, US$4,604 in 2025 and capped at US$4,543.50 for 2026, and only licensed companies may sell it. Pilgrims fly direct from Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Garowe and Bosaso. The government supported 9,043 pilgrims in 2023.
A pillar of the faith
The pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj, Somali xaj) is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Library of Congress country study notes that, like almsgiving, it depends "upon one's ability to afford" it. It adds that many devout Somalis went to Mecca, "but many more would visit the tombs of the local saints", the local pilgrimage called siyaaro (Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study, 1992). See saints, shrines and siyaaro.
Somalis have taken this road for centuries. Scholars from Zeila were studying in Cairo by the 1300s (Al-Zayla'i, Wikipedia), and in the 1800s Xaaji Cali Majeerteen of the Nugaal studied in Mecca and Baghdad (Haji Ali Majeerteen, Wikipedia). Sheikh Cali Maye Durogba of Merca joined the Ahmadiyya order while on pilgrimage and brought it home (Library of Congress, 1992). See Somali scholars and saints.
The quota
Saudi Arabia agrees a yearly number of Hajj places with each country. In November 2025 Somalia's Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali, and the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, signed the 2026 agreement in Jeddah for 11,500 Somali pilgrims (Goobjoog News, 12 November 2025).
Pilgrim numbers
| Year (Hijri) | Pilgrims | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 (1444) | 9,043 supported by the federal government | US State Department, International Religious Freedom Report 2023, via ecoi.net |
| 2025 (1446) | about 11,500 expected; over 11,000 had reached Medina by 12 May | SONNA, 12 May 2025 |
| 2026 (1447) | quota of 11,500 | Goobjoog News, 12 November 2025 |
What it costs
The ministry sets one package price for all licensed companies.
| Season | Package price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | US$5,500 to 6,000 | Hajj Reporters, 5 January 2025 |
| 2024 | US$4,434 | same source |
| 2025 | US$4,604 | same source |
| 2026 | capped at US$4,543.50 | Goobjoog News, 18 October 2025 |
The 2025 price covers transport, lodging and logistics in Somalia and Saudi Arabia. Hajj Reporters noted that the ministry blamed the rise on inflation and higher travel and hotel costs in Saudi Arabia, and that packages in Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti can cost as little as US$1,600. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre criticised companies for inflating prices (Hajj Reporters, 2025).
How it is organised
- Licensed companies. For 2026 the ministry listed 71 approved Hajj companies on its website and told pilgrims to deal only with them. Companies must sign a service agreement with each pilgrim and register pilgrims through an official electronic system. No payment may be taken before the ministry announces the final fee, and unlicensed operators face legal action (Goobjoog News, 18 October 2025).
- Airports. Pilgrims leave only from Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Garowe and Bosaso (same source). In 2025 flights ran on a staggered schedule until 31 May (SONNA, 2025).
- Airline. In 2024 Daallo Airlines won the contract to carry Somali pilgrims, ahead of 10 other airlines (Hajj Reporters, 2025). See airlines in Somalia.
- Oversight. A joint Somali-Saudi expert committee, set up in 2023, oversees health and safety, travel and service quality (same source). The ministry works with a Hajj operations committee and the Somali embassy in Saudi Arabia (SONNA, 2025). Somalia was ranked among the top four countries for Hajj service quality in 2025 and had its own pavilion at the Hajj Expo in Jeddah (Goobjoog News, 12 November 2025).
The Hajj season at home
The Hajj ends with Eid al-Adha (Ciidul Adxa) on 10 Dhu al-Hijja; by calculation it falls about 16 May 2027 (Islamic calendar in Somalia). The season is also the peak of Somalia's livestock exports to Saudi Arabia, since pilgrims need animals for the sacrifice. See Ramadan and Eid in Somalia.
Read further
Sources
- Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study, 1992 · countrystudies.us
- Al-Zayla'i, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Haji Ali Majeerteen, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Library of Congress, 1992 · countrystudies.us
- Goobjoog News, 12 November 2025 · en.goobjoog.com
- US State Department, International Religious Freedom Report 2023, via ecoi.net · ecoi.net
- SONNA, 12 May 2025 · sonna.so
- Hajj Reporters, 5 January 2025 · hajjreporters.com
- Goobjoog News, 18 October 2025 · en.goobjoog.com
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
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