Middle East

Jeddah, Jan 8: A life size replica1The ongoing expansion of mataf, or circumambulation area around the Kaaba, would be completed before this year’s Haj, said Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, on Wednesday. Inspecting the Haram expansion project here, he said thousands of pilgrims would be able to use the expanded mataf during the upcoming Haj season. “Most of

Jeddah, Jan 7: As part of new regulatory efforts to eradicate employment of unqualified engineers, the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) will release a blacklist including the names of 1,700 Saudi and non-Saudi professionals who forged their credentials in order to prevent them from practicing the profession in the country. The council hopes to put an end to an ongoing issue that has created

Jerusalem, Jan 6: The head of the world’s largest Islamic organization on Monday paid a rare visit to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, urging Muslims to follow suit and come to the city in a bid to strengthen Palestinian claims to the holy site. The visit by Iyad Madani, secretary-general of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, came at a sensitive time following months of tensions and

Jeddah, Jan 5: According to sources, Jeddah is likely to attract more than 1 million domestic tourists for the Historic Jeddah Festival later this month. More than 536 families reside in Jeddah’s historical district. The district, which has nearly 1,866 houses and buildings, was declared last year a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Property owners and residents of the district, called Balad, say

Dammam, Jan 4: The Eastern Province municipality has begun renting out shops at the newly established Dammam Women's Market following the completion of all major construction work. Ziad bin Abdul Karim Al-Suwaidan, the EP Investments general manager, said that the project is set to make way for various commercial activities covering over 17,500 square meters. He said that the women's market

Jeddah, Jan 2: The multibillion-riyal expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah has seen several hotels demolished, resulting in the loss of 12,000 jobs, a local Arabic daily newspaper reported Thursday. Ghani Al-Ansari, the head of the tourism committee at the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was quoted as saying that the government must address the issue of men and women losing their

Cairo, Jan 1: An Egyptian court Thursday accepted an appeal against the sentence handed out to three Al-Jazeera journalists and a retrial will be scheduled, media reported. The three journalists -- Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste -- of the Qatar-based news network in English were sentenced in June last year. Fahmy and Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison, while Mohammed got

Jeddah, Dec 31: Major modifications will be made to the Saudi Payment Network System (SPAN) in 2015 to increase efficiency and reduce costs for banks, merchants and consumers, and counter the smuggling of cash. It would eventually also allow for withdrawals at point-of-sale (POS) terminals, and getting money from ATMs without cards. The new system, to be renamed Mada, will connect ATMs and POS

Jeddah, Dec 29: Expatriate workers pay nearly SR100 million for their dependents’ medical insurance as some employers only cover their staff and not families, according to an insurance expert Abdullah Al-Banawi, a member of the insurance committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), told Arab News that the new decision to provide medical insurance to families of the expatriate

Jeddah, Dec 26: The Passport Department has issued new regulations stating that family visitor visas would now be limited to only six months, or 180 days, an online paper said, quoting an official spokesman. The period would start once a visitor arrives in the Kingdom and registers on the passport department’s computerized system, Lt. Col. Ahmed bin Fahad Al-Luhaidan was quoted as saying. He said