ISTANBUL, December 17 (Islamonlne.net) - Some 297 people have arrived in Saudi Arabia as the first batch of the some 120,000 Turkish pilgrims expected to fly from the predominantly Muslim European country for Hajj rituals this year.

The plane took off from Istanbul Airport Wednesday, December 15, amid a festive atmosphere running high as families saw their relatives off.

Turkey is to send 120,000 people in 48 batches to the Saudi territories for hajj -- a 49,000 increase on last year’s quota, sources in the Turkish Religious Affairs Authority told IslamOnline.net.

The number shows an evident increase on the 1 per cent of the population ratio earlier set down by the Islamic world conference to distribute pilgrimage visas among Islamic states.

Turkey’s overall population hits 71.3 millions, according to the latest official statistics, which means that 71.000 only are allowed to travel to perform hajj.

Turkish Airlines will transport around half the number of pilgrims this year in 623 flights moving from different Turkish airports to and from Saudi Arabia until February 24, 2005, while Saudi Arabian Airlines will take up airing the other half of pilgrims to and from the Islamic Republic.

The fifth Pillar of Islam is the pilgrimage (hajj) to Makkah and its surroundings, Saudi Arabia. Muslims travel from all over the world every year to perform Hajj.

The Prophet’s Mosque.

In preparation for the season of pilgrimage this year, the Religious affairs Authority and edict departments across Turkey have organized courses for educating and guiding Turkish people on how to perform the rituals of hajj.

Pamphlets, CDs and cassette tapes that explain the rituals and rules of the main pillar of Islam to the pilgrims make up part of the campaign.

Central Turkish mosques have been witnessing sermons and seminars on hajj rituals.

The “new Mosque” in Istanbul organized a training session that was supervised by some specialists.

The organizers explained the rules on a prototype of the honorable Ka’abah, whereon all rituals are explained with elaboration.

Istanbul wins the lion's share of the total numbers of Turkish pilgrims every year, due to its high population density of 12 millions which make up 16.9% of the total population.

Also, waqf departments, charities and NGOs in Turkey have launched a campaign to convince well-offs who would like to re-perform pilgrimage rituals to contribute instead to help charitable and humanitarian deeds.

All Muslims are obligated to make Hajj once in their lifetimes if they can afford it and are otherwise able to do so.

The rituals of Hajj are themselves simple, but the amount of walking necessary, the hot climate, and the crowds make the Hajj a rigorous exercise in faith. Still, between 2 to 3 million people perform Hajj every year, and millions more yearn to do so.

Meanwhile, Turkish media have recently splashed out news on an agreement to be concluded between a privately-owned aviation company and the Saudi Arabian Airlines whereby a number of hijab-clad Turkish air hostesses would serve aboard five of its flights.

The rituals of Hajj date back to the time of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and commemorate his willingness to sacrifice his only son, Isma`il (Ishmael). During the days of Hajj, the pilgrims attempt to forget all but their most basic worldly needs and to focus their attention and devotion on Allah Alone.

Upon arriving in Makkah, the pilgrims first circumambulate the Ka`bah  seven times in a ritual known as Tawaf. This ritual reminds the pilgrims that Allah (God) should be the focus and center of their lives.