04-07-2025
Look: Indonesia President performs Umrah, prays inside Kaaba
Dressed in simple white garments and barefoot, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto concluded his visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday by performing the Umrah pilgrimage.
Subianto also prayed voluntarily inside the Holy Kaaba, in a gesture that holds profound spiritual significance for Muslims, as it represents the holiest site in Islam and the centre of the Islamic world.
Performing prayers inside the Kaaba is also considered an exceedingly rare and deeply honoured opportunity. Since Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during their daily prayers (Qibla), entering and praying within it is seen as a moment of intimate connection with the divine.
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Commenting on the visit, Subianto said: "After holding a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, I continued my journey to the city of Makkah to perform the Umrah pilgrimage together with several ministers of the Red and White Cabinet."
"Upon arriving at the Grand Mosque, I had the opportunity to meet and greet Indonesian pilgrims who were performing their worship in the holy land," added the president who shared photos of his religious journey on X.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, with Muslims comprising 90% of its 270 million people.
During Subianto's trip, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia signed several deals and memorandums of understanding worth around $27 billion between private sector institutions in fields including clean energy and petrochemicals, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.
Trade between the two countries amounted to around $31.5 billion in the last five years.
