70-year-old
Duhok man dies in Mecca after Umrah pilgrimage
DUHOK — Ahmed Hassan Mohammed, a resident of the Duhok governorate, died in Mecca on Saturday after performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Hajj and Umrah Directorate.
The 70-year-old pilgrim suffered a stroke after completing the Umrah rituals and had been receiving treatment in Mecca’s hospitals for a month. The Duhok Hajj office and the company that organized his trip oversaw his care.
Umrah—an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be performed at any time—differs from the mandatory Hajj, which has fixed dates and is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
With his family’s approval, authorities arranged for his burial in Mecca.
His passing marks the seventh death among Kurdistan Region pilgrims in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of 2025 and the first during Ramadan.
A large number of Kurdish citizens applied for Saudi Arabia visas through Hajj and Umrah companies to perform Umrah during Ramadan, a period considered spiritually important for Muslims. The heightened interest in performing Umrah during Ramadan is rooted in a saying of the Prophet Muhammad who said, “Performing Umrah during Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj.”
