Mahram (blood relative) is no longer required to accompany a woman pilgrim, who wishes to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj or Umrah from any part of the world.

Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah came up with the announcement at a press conference at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo on Monday.

The minister brought to an end the lingering controversy about whether a mahram is required to accompany a woman pilgrim or not, Saudi Gazette said in a report.

Talking to this correspondent, M Shahadat Hossain Taslaim, president, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh, said the new announcement of the Saudi authority will play a positive role for women wishing to perform hajj.

The Saudi Hajj and Umrah minister said that the costs for the expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah have exceeded SR200 billion and that the largest-ever expansion in the history of the holy mosque is continuing.

Al-Rabiah said that there is no quota or ceiling for the number of Umrah visas to be issued for Muslims from all over the world.

"Any Muslim coming to the Kingdom with any type of visa can perform Umrah," he said.

Al-Rabiah affirmed Saudi Arabia's keenness on reducing the costs of performing Hajj and Umrah, saying that the matter is related to a number of factors.

The minister also referred to the efforts made by the Kingdom during the recent period regarding the introduction and use of modern technologies and digitization of the services provided by the ministry to those who wish to visit the Two Holy Mosques.

"These included using robots to provide some services to the pilgrims, as well as developing the Nusk platform, which makes available many facilities for the pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque. It is possible to book an Umrah permit through the platform within a short period of time, and after that, the visa can be obtained within 24 hours," he added.