Riyadh, May 26, 2025 – Four citizens of Kazakhstan who embarked on the Hajj pilgrimage by car from the city of Semey have arrived in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Yerzhan Slyambekov, Aidar Kurmanov, Kanat Saimov, and Leonid Payazitov were warmly welcomed by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Saudi Arabia, Madiyar Menilbekov, who held a meeting with them at the Embassy.

During the meeting, the pilgrims shared details of their 13-day journey and the route they followed. They departed from Semey, passing through several cities including Astana, Aktobe, and Atyrau, then crossed the territories of the Russian Federation, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates before reaching Saudi Arabia.

The total length of this historic journey amounted to approximately 10 000 kilometers. From Riyadh, the pilgrims will head to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. The Ambassador wished them a safe journey and a successful completion of their pilgrimage to Islam’s sacred sites.

It is worth noting that in the 19th century, the great historical figure Kunanbai Uskenbaiuly, the father of Abai, also performed the Hajj after undertaking a long journey that lasted several months. Approximately a century and a half later, this historic route has been symbolically revived.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-riyadh/press/news/details/1004620?lang=kk