Indonesia Proposes Pilgrimage Village Near Mecca to Cut Hajj Costs
- Repro Video.
Jakarta, VIVA – President Prabowo Subianto will visit Saudi Arabia to meet with the Saudi royal family and discuss the establishment of an Indonesian village in the Holy Land.
The proposed village is expected to help reduce the cost of organizing Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
The head of state said that this idea had already been conveyed to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"I've also requested a meeting with the leadership of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Kingdom, where I will discuss Indonesia’s proposal, which I’ve already presented to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman," the president said on Sunday (May 4).
Presiden RI Prabowo Subianto saat menghadiri peringatan Hari Pendidikan Nasional (Hardiknas) di SDN 5 Cimahpar, Bogor, Jawa Barat, Jumat, 2 Mei 2025 (sumber: tangkapan layar YouTube Sekretariat Presiden)
- VIVA.co.id/Yeni Lestari
President Prabowo stated that during his last meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the proposal received a positive response. The planned Indonesian village is expected to be located close to the Masjid al-Haram.
"During my last meeting with him, I presented Indonesia's intention to build an Indonesian village in the Holy Land, as close as possible to the Masjid al-Haram. His response was quite positive—he said, ‘Let’s plan it out technically and thoroughly,’" the president explained.
President Prabowo added that Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar had already visited Saudi Arabia.
Then, he also plans to depart soon to further discuss the Indonesian village for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
"We will head there again, so that if it is approved by the Saudi Kingdom, God willing, we will have our own village, and we will also make flight arrangements more efficient," he concluded.