BAIQ Mariah, a 104-year-old woman from Indonesia, has arrived in Jeddah on the first leg of her Hajj pilgrimage.

She is the oldest among some 221,000 pilgrims from Indonesia this year.

Consul General of the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, Mohammed Hery Saripudin, told Arab News that “Mariah is in good health” and would be able to perform her Hajj rituals without any problems.

She was given special assistance by officials of Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry when she departed on Saturday, Saripudin said.

Mariah boarded the first Hajj flight to depart from Lombok International Airport in Indonesia.

Saripudin said there are some one million Muslims waitlisted in his country to perform Hajj. Pilgrims have to wait on average six years before being able to go to Makkah.

Most Indonesian pilgrims are elderly, and their age poses health risks. So far, 20 Indonesian pilgrims have died this year, said Saripudin.

Each group of pilgrims is supported by a medical officer who can attend to their health needs, he added.

“Besides a Hajj consul officiating in the consulate office in Jeddah, we have two more Hajj offices in Makkah and Madinah to help Indonesian pilgrims,” he said.