A prayer room for Muslims has been opened at Tashkent International Airport named after Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan Airways’ press center told Russia’s RIA Novosti on November 13.  

A prayer room for Muslims was reportedly opened at the Tashkent airport on November 12.  

Uzbek national air carrier says that it will organize regular charter flights for the Hajj (an annual Islamic pilgrimage).  

A total Hajj quota for Uzbekistan for this year has reportedly been increased by 20 percent to 13,200 people.

Meanwhile the Umrah quota for Uzbekistan has remained the same – 6,000 people.   Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Hijaz, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the Ḥajj.  The Uzbek authorities have asked Saudi Arabia to increase the Umrah quota for Uzbekistan for 2018 to 10,000 people.