Middle East

Madinah, Oct 9: Work on the first phase of the SR50 billion King Abdullah Pilgrim City in Madinah has begun as part of the government’s efforts to further improve services being extended to the guests of God who come for Haj and Umrah every year. The massive city covering an area of over 1.6 million square meters will accommodate 200,000 people. It is located 3 km to the west of the Prophet’s

Jeddah, Oct 8: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has commended the efforts of government agencies and private organizations in making this year’s Haj a "big success," enabling more than 2 million Hajis to perform their rituals in peace and comfort. “We appreciate the efforts of your royal highness and the Supreme Haj Committee as well as security officers and employees of public and

Mina, Oct 7: A total of 650 pilgrims were found sleeping in a rundown private school in Al-Aziziah next to Mina without food, water and transport on Sunday, allegedly victims of a fake Haj firm. The pilgrims, from various Arab countries, claimed they paid SR1.6 million to the operator in Buraidah, Qassim, to take them on the holy pilgrimage. They allegedly paid between SR2,000 and SR4,000 for

Mina, Oct 6: Haj has never been so organized — from the trains that run on elevated tracks to the extremely helpful security forces on the ground and in the many helicopters that hover overhead informing the central operations command about possible bottlenecks. Saudi Arabia has poured billions of riyals into infrastructure here at the holy sites. Most of these gigantic projects have been carried

Abu Dhabi, Oct 5: UAE leaders performed Eid Al Adha prayers across the country on Saturrday. In Dubai, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Matkoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday performed Eid Al Adha prayers at the Shaikh Rashid Mosque in Zabeel. Also praying alongside Shaikh Mohammad were Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown

Jeddah, Oct 4: Many citizens and residents are using the Eid holidays to spend time in Madinah and Jeddah. Saudis have also gone to Dubai for the vacation, while expatriates have headed heading home to their loved ones. In the downtown area of Balad in Jeddah, many bachelor expatriates were seen on Thursday taking taxis and Saudi Transport Company buses to their destinations. However, sources said

Makkah, Oct 2: As a child, Osama Al-Bar would walk from his home past Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, to the market of spice and fabric merchants where his father owned a store. At that time, Makkah was so small, pilgrims could sit near the Kaaba and look out at the serene desert mountains where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once walked. Now the market and the homes are gone. Monumental

Jeddah, Oct 2: More than two million pilgrims have begun marching to Mina on the first leg of their journey of a lifetime. The government’s agencies have made elaborate arrangements to ensure the smooth flow of pilgrims from Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Riyadh, Taif and Dammam into the tent city. The pilgrims will spend the day and night in prayers and then head to the plains of Arafat on Friday

Jeddah, Oct 1: The newly expanded Jamrat bridge in Mina can accommodate 500,000 pilgrims per hour during the Haj season, said Prince Mansour bin Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs. “The streets leading to Jamrat, however, cannot hold these many pilgrims. As a result, only 300,000 pilgrims can use the bridge per hour now,” he said, while stressing his ministry’s plan to expand Mina’s

Jeddah, Sep 30: Security forces have barred 98,000 people from entering Makkah because they did not have Haj permits, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday. The authorities did not allow 25,216 vehicles to enter the holy sites because they were not licensed to carry pilgrims. Police seized 85 vehicles for violating other Haj-related regulations. Drivers of utility vehicles carrying