Jakarta. Indonesia will have to compete against 90 bidders to be able to secure its sought-after land lot in Saudi Arabia, as Jakarta hopes to set up a so-called “Hajj Village” near the Great Mosque of Mecca.

President Prabowo Subianto wants to set up an area or “village” close to the holy site that will specifically cater to Indonesian pilgrims, many of whom are the elderly. During the annual hajj season, around 221,000 Indonesians travel to Mecca to perform the mandatory religious duty. The 2024 hajj crowd even had 241,000 Indonesians. 

Saudi Arabia will allow foreign property ownership starting next year, although anyone interested in the holy city of Mecca remains subject to strict conditions, including a Muslim-only rule. Prabowo has appointed sovereign fund Danantara to make the preparatory work. 

In a cabinet meeting that marks Prabowo’s first anniversary in office, the president revealed that dozens of other bidders were after the same plot of land that Jakarta was hoping to use for the Hajj Village. Prabowo said he had consistently negotiated with the Saudi government to approve Indonesia of the Hajj Village plan, making it the first foreign country to get the oil-rich kingdom’s green light for such a project in Mecca. 

“There are 90 other entities who are joining the bid for the plot of land that we are pursuing. Maybe Religious Affairs Minister [Nasaruddin Umar] should lead some prayers so everything goes well,” Prabowo told the cabinet meeting in Jakarta.

Prabowo did not go into details on who the 90 bidders were. 

“Perhaps we managed to gain their [Saudi’s] sympathy. For the first time in history, [Saudi Arabia] allows foreign property ownership in the holy city.  They have made some regulatory changes for us. We were the first country to secure that deal,” he said.

“They will offer their best lands in a tender that will close on Oct. 30, if I remember correctly," Prabowo said.

Prabowo revealed that he had recently discussed the project with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, while also alluding that the talks had gone well. The two had visited Egypt for a US-led Gaza summit. 

Danantara CEO Rosan Roeslani has traveled to Mecca to see the possible sites in person back in August. The agency also engaged in talks with the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, the agency in charge of overseeing the area. The village is expected to include accommodation facilities, a pilgrim service center, a clinic, and meeting spaces for worship guidance. Earlier this month, Rosan explained the bidding process in more detail, saying that Jakarta had picked a plot of land that was between 1.5 to 2.2 kilometers from the Holy Mosque.

“Because this is the best plot, there are 90 bidders who want to join in. We have to submit the bid by Oct. 30, not only on the pricing, but the complete set of the master plan, drawings, and everything. … What determines the winner is not about the pricing as it is fixed, … but the planning,” Rosan explained at a Hajj Fund forum. 

Hajj Ministry and Shorter Queue

Prabowo revealed the reason why Indonesia decided to upgrade the country’s Hajj Organizing Agency into a ministry.

“We now have a Hajj Ministry at the Saudi government’s request. It’s because Saudi Arabia has its very own Hajj Ministry, and they wish to deal with ministers, not agency heads, in dealing [with the pilgrimage matters]. I guess we have no choice but to make adjustments,” the retired army general said.

He talked about Indonesia’s efforts to slash Hajj costs as each pilgrim had to pay around Rp 55.4 million ($3,347). For context, the minimum monthly wage in the country’s most modern city Jakarta stands at nearly Rp 5.4 million. Efforts are underway to almost halve the queue time from 40 years to 26 years. Prabowo, however, admitted that the queue time of 26 years was still “way too long”, and had aimed to go even lower.