Saudi authorities said on Wednesday 736,649 pilgrims have arrived in the holy lands till Tuesday to perform hajj (pilgrimage) rituals, up 10,312 from the number reached at the same period last year.

According to statistics by the Saudi Passports Directorate, 726,453 pilgrims arrived at the kingdom by air, 4,018 by land and 6,178 by sea.

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