Azerbaijan, Baku, 17 November / Trend corr. I.Alizade/ The international financial crisis reduced numbers of Azerbaijanis making pilgrimage to Mecca.
"One part of quato of Hajj pilgrimage has not yet been fulfilled," Haji Allahshukur Pashazade, the chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Cleric Organization, said at a news conference on 17 November.
It is expected that 6,000 people will make pilgrimage to Mecca from Azerbaijan in 2008.
Hajj pilgrimage will begin after 20 November. The first caravan of buses and planes will leave for Mecca and Medina on 22 November.
Prices for Hajj pilgrimage rose in 2008 as compared to 2007. Thus conveyance of pilgrims by plane costs pay AZN 3,500 an d by cars - AZN 2,050.
Pashazade stressed that they returned backsome planes, which were ordered for Hajj pilgrimage. "A total of 25% of fare should be paid beforehand while ordering plane. We have ordered plane beforehand. However, as numbers of pigrims are few, we returned back some of them."
According to Pashazade, cars for Hajj pilgrimage wil be brpught from Turkey in few days. Some 107 people will make Hajj pilgirmage free of charge at President Ilham Aliyev's decision in 2008, Pashazade said. "I will send 180 people to Hajj pilgrimage free of charge, as well," he said.
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