Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto announced on Sunday that the Indonesian government plans to establish an “Indonesian village” in Saudi Arabia to accommodate Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. The proposal has reportedly received a positive response from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“I’ve requested an audience with the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During that meeting, I plan to discuss Indonesia’s proposal, which I previously conveyed to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” Prabowo said during the inauguration ceremony of the new Hajj and Umrah Terminal at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

Prabowo noted that Indonesia sends around 2.2 million pilgrims annually for Hajj and Umrah, with daily peak numbers reaching up to 12,000 people.

The proposed village would be located near the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca to ease the movement of Indonesian pilgrims. According to the president, Saudi authorities have expressed openness to the idea.

“When I last met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, I conveyed Indonesia’s intention to build an Indonesian settlement in the Holy Land, as close as possible to the Grand Mosque. His response was quite positive -- he said, ‘Let’s plan it thoroughly and technically,’” Prabowo recounted.

The Indonesian government plans to send Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar to hold further technical discussions with Saudi counterparts to explore the feasibility and details of the project. Prabowo added that the government remains committed to improving services and lowering the cost of the Hajj pilgrimage.

“We’ll go back soon to follow up. If approved by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we hope to have our own designated area there and make our flight operations more efficient,” he said.

This year, Indonesia has been allocated a Hajj quota of 221,000 pilgrims by the Saudi government. The first wave of Indonesian pilgrims departed two days ago, marking the beginning of the 2025 Hajj season.