Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh has called for reducing the cost of the Hajj pilgrimage, Arab News reported Wednesday.

Al-Asheikh stressed the importance of early preparations for the Hajj this year and the completion of the tasks entrusted to the ministry as part of its mission to serve the pilgrims and create Islamic awareness.

This year’s Hajj will be in September, with pilgrims arriving one month before the start of the rituals.

Saudi Arabia receives millions of pilgrims from all over the world every year, which requires highly systematic planning and utilization of resources.

The minister emphasized the need for all services related to the performance of the rituals to be ready in advance, especially those pertaining to miqaats (the places where pilgrims put on the ihram clothes before entering Makkah to perform Umrah or Hajj).

Al-Asheikh urged concerned bodies to reduce costs and integrate the services of various sectors in order to provide advocacy and counseling facilities to the pilgrims by arranging time-bound programs.