Saudi authorities said on Friday 855,956 pilgrims have arrived in the holy lands till Thursday to perform hajj (pilgrimage) rituals, up 1,420 from the number reached at the same period last year.

According to statistics by the Saudi Passports Directorate, 836,611 pilgrims arrived at the kingdom by air, 11,598 by land and 7,756 by sea.

The number of pilgrims is expected to rise within the coming few days to reach 1.3 million.