On Sunday, in an effort to support Jordan amid its national crisis, the country's King Abdullah II arrived in Saudi Arabia to attend a summit hosted by Saudi King Salman.
However, prior to attending the official meeting, Jordan's king, together with his son, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, performed Umrah - the minor pilgrimage to Mecca.
Photos of the Jordanian royals performing the pilgrimage began making the rounds on social media soon after, ultimately going viral.
Different angles of the pilgrimage surfaced
"May God accept your duties"
"God Bless"
Leaders from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait discussed Jordan's economic crisis
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's King Salman hosted a meeting with a number of Arab leaders to discuss "ways to support Jordan to emerge from the economic crisis it is going through", a statement announcing the meeting read.
Among those in attendance included Jordan's King Abdullah II, Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
The Jordanian king also met with the Ruler of Dubai and UAE's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, alongside his son.
Dubbed "Mecca Summit", the meeting resulted in a $2.5 billion aid package in support of Jordan's economy. According to the Saudi Gazette, the aid would come in the form of the following:
- Deposit in the Central Bank of Jordan
- World Bank Guarantees for Jordan
- Annual support for the budget of the Jordanian government for five years
- Financing from development funds for development projects
The situation in Jordan in recent weeks
In June, Jordanians took to the streets to protest against IMF-backed tax reforms as well as the rise of fuel and electricity prices, a decision that ultimately pushed then-Prime Minister Hani Mulki to resign.
A few months ago, Mulki announced a new income tax draft bill which would tax Jordanians who earn annual salaries as low as $11,000.
This, as well as an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) to reach 16 percent, sparked massive protests in the country to reverse the decision.
Soon after Mulki's resignation, King Abdullah II appointed Minister of Education and previous World Bank economist Omar Razzaz as new PM with the responsibility to form a new government.
On Thursday, Razzaz announced that the income tax draft law will be withdrawn, in hopes to reach a peaceful compromise with the civil society that has been protesting for the past week.
