Special treatment for pilgrims to Islam’s holiest city
Saudi Arabia TARIQ AL-THAQAFI | Published — Friday 5 January 2018 MAKKAH: More than 100 Muslim men and women pilgrims and visitors from Germany, Turkey and Europe yesterday […]
Hajj revenues poised to exceed $150bn by 2022: Experts
SAUDI ARABIA TARIQ AL-THAQAFI | Published — Monday 28 August 2017 Saudi military police officers assist pilgrim at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Sunday. (AN photo by Ahmed Hashad) MAKKAH: Economic experts have said Hajj and Umrah revenues are poised to exceed $150 billion by 2022 in light of […]
Distribution of Zamzam water: A success story
TARIQ AL-THAGAFI |Published — Wednesday 16 August 2017 Muslim pilgrims drink Zamzam water at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (SPA file photo) MAKKAH: Distributing Zamzam water to 2 million pilgrims in Makkah is not an easy task. It is carried out by institutions established to provide water to pilgrims at […]
Morocco praises Saudi measures for Haj pilgrims
ARAB NEWS | Published — Sunday 15 January 2017 A picture taken on October 16, 2013 shows Muslim pilgrims heading to the “Jamarat” ritual, the symbolic stoning of Satan, where they throw pebbles at pillars, in Mina near the holy city of Makkah. (AFP) RIYADH: A senior Moroccan official […]
A 10-month Umrah season proposed
ARAB NEWS | Published — Saturday 17 September 2016 The expansion of the holy mosques takes into account the expected surge in Muslim population worldwide by 2030. (AN photo by Ahmed Hashad) RIYADH: A government proposal to extend the Umrah season from the current eight months to 10 is […]
Hajj pilgrims’ expenditure to reach $6.9B this season
Published September 11th, 2016 Demand surges for internet or network services that help pilgrims maintain contact with their relatives during their stay abroad. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli) Saad al-Qurashi The two economic sectors greatly affected by the annual Hajj pilgrimage season, directly proportional to the economic term of Hajj tourism, are sectors […]
24-hour service to treat sun, heatstroke victims during Haj
MOHAMMED RASOOLDEEN | Published — Thursday 1 September 2016 A Saudi security guard sprays water over pilgrims to cool them down as they walk back to their tents after casting stones at Jamarrat pillars, a ritual that symbolises the stoning of Satan, during the annual pilgrimage, known as the hajj, […]
Govt launches ‘no vaccine, no Haj’ campaign this year
ARAB NEWS | Published — Monday 29 August 2016 JEDDAH: The Ministry of Health has embarked on its new campaign titled, “No vaccine, no Haj,” aimed at eradicating all infectious diseases that spread with the end of the Haj season. The ministry is implementing this campaign for the first time, […]
Grand Mosque illuminates with 2m worshippers on Ramadan 27 night
ARAB NEWS | Published — Sunday 3 July 2016 PRAYERS AT ITS PEAK: Worshippers throng in Makkah to take optimum benefits from the Qiyamul Layl prayer, on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. (SPA photo) PRAYERS AT ITS PEAK: Worshippers throng in Madinah to take optimum benefits from the […]
Pilgrims consume 35,000 tons of Zamzam water
ARAB NEWS | Published — Monday 4 July 2016 A report revealed that the amount of Zamzam water consumed reached 35,000 tons. (SPA) MAKKAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also chairman of the Central Haj Committee, reviewed a report presented by the adviser to the province, Hisham Al-Faleh, […]
80% of hotel rooms in Makkah reserved
ARAB NEWS | Published — Saturday 18 June 2016 Paid reservations reached 124,000 rooms, of a total of 155,000 rooms in the central area for the first 10 days of Ramadan. (SPA) MAKKAH: Reservations at hotels in the central area in Makkah registered their highest operational capacity this year, […]
Performed Umrah? Stay home
ARAB NEWS | Published — Friday 10 June 2016 JEDDAH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who heads the Council of Senior Scholars, has urged Muslims who have undertaken many Umrah trips to refrain for entering Makkah, so that others have a chance to perform the rituals. Al-Asheikh said it […]
5% rise in Umrah pilgrims
SAUDI ARABIA ARAB NEWS | Published — Sunday 29 May 2016 Seen through a decoration window, Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the minor pilgrimage, known as Umrah, in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, in this March 10, 2016 photo. […]
Mataf expansion speaks volumes about Kingdom’s efforts, say pilgrims
ARAB NEWS | Published — Wednesday 18 May 2016 GOOD WORK: Umrah pilgrims hailed the Saudi government for mataf expansion in Makkah. MAKKAH: Umrah pilgrims have hailed the mataf expansion in Makkah as “distinguished” and “amazing,” saying that the achievement speaks a lot about the attention the Saudi government […]
2.18 million Umrah visas issued
In this Jan. 13, 2016 photo, a Muslim boy watches pilgrims as they circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia during the minor pilgrimage, known as Umrah. (AP) ARAB NEWS Published — Sunday 31 January 2016 JEDDAH: The […]
‘Our goal is to make the pilgrims’ trip outstanding and memorable’
ARAB NEWS Published — Tuesday 8 December 2015 JEDDAH: Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar confirmed that the number of Umrah performers is expected to be consistent with the policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which allows Muslims from all over the world to perform the pilgrimage. In an exclusive interview, […]
26m visited Grand Mosque in Ramadan
A view inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (AN photo by Ahmad Hashad) ARAB NEWS Published — Sunday 2 August 2015 JEDDAH: More than 26 million Umrah pilgrims and worshippers visited the Grand Mosque during the month of Ramadan and in the first few days after Eid Al-Fitr, thanks […]
Innovative Haj and Umrah app launched
SHARING KNOWLEDGE: The app is in Unicode format which allows users to copy and share any information through WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook and e-mail. ARAB NEWS Published — Tuesday 16 June 2015 Last update 16 June 2015 12:54 am JEDDAH: An Indian scholar has launched an Urdu application for smartphones providing […]
'Mecca has been turned into Disneyland’
‘Mecca has been turned into Disneyland’ A new book about Mecca will outrage the hostage-beheading fanatics of ISIL, says Michael Kerr – who talks to the author By Michael Kerr 11:39AM BST 02 Oct 2014 After his fifth pilgrimage to Mecca, Ziauddin Sardar was congratulating himself on having done […]
‘Mecca has been turned into Disneyland’
‘Mecca has been turned into Disneyland’ A new book about Mecca will outrage the hostage-beheading fanatics of ISIL, says Michael Kerr – who talks to the author By Michael Kerr 11:39AM BST 02 Oct 2014 After his fifth pilgrimage to Mecca, Ziauddin Sardar was congratulating himself on having done […]