Youtube Video
Millions turn up for the Eid Salah.
Makkah - 48 new cooling spray ventilator fans have been installed at six locations in the mosque which come into operation automatically when temperatures reach 30 degrees.
Each of the six locations identified are provided with eight high-capacity fans covering their vicinities. The system operate for half an hour before prayer times and for half an hour when temperatures reach 30 degrees Centigrade. During the seasons (Ramadan and Haj) they will be on automatic, operating 24 hours a day, pausing for two minutes every eight minutes during long periods of operation.
That the system is under trial, and if deemed a success will be extended to other courtyard areas.
Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...&postcount=301
Monday 5 September 2011
It is a pivotal point in the Islamic calendar, the moment when a month of fasting and contemplation finally comes to an end. But the celebration of Eid this year has been marred by controversy after claims that Saudi religious officials announced the festival on the wrong day.
Traditionally Ramadan comes to an end when the new moon is visible with the naked eye.
This year, officials in Saudi Arabia announced a sighting on Monday 29 August. Since then, however, astronomers have presented evidence to show that the moon was not visible at the time, and suggested that the Saudi officials may have actually been looking at Saturn.
Maged Abou Zahra, president of the Jeddah Astronomical Society, told the Egyptian paper al-Shorouk: "The sighting of a new moon would have simply been impossible."
If true, the mistake would mean that millions of Muslims around the world stopped fasting a day too early. When the new moon rises, it is not visible as it is completely in the shadow of the earth and astronomers claim that it usually takes around 15 hours before it is visible to the naked eye.
But in Saudi Arabia barely five hours passed before authorities announced the first "moonsighting" had been made by the requisite credible and pious person.
Middle Eastern analyst Issandr El Amrani, author of the Arabist blog, said the confusion suggested that Muslims should start using more scientific methods to determine the start of the Islamic month.
"The need for a naked eye sighting is a literal interpretation of Islamic tradition that should be adapted to technological realities," he said.
Many claim that the Saudis, in fact, already use astronomical calculations to pinpoint the start of the next Islamic month, but present the information as a traditional moonsighting to please conservative Muslims. There has been no official comment from Saudi religious authorities.
The confusion has prompted some commentators to question whether the world's estimated 1.6 billion Muslims should follow rulings from Saudi clerics simply because the site of the holy pilgrimage, the Ka'aba, is located in the country.
Sheikh bin Baz, a religious scholar in Mecca said in a recent speech that "there are no grounds for Muslims in the UK to follow Saudi Arabia".
Iqbal Sacranie, former general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that he wanted to unite the Muslim community to celebrate the occasion at the same time: "It is extremely sad that the Muslim community in the UK are divided on this very important issue of celebrating Eid. I believe it is now time for key scholars from different schools of thought to come together with Muslim organisations like the MCB and address this issue once and for all."
Ahmed Versi, editor of the Muslim News said that it was not uncommon for Muslim communities to celebrate Eid on different dates – mosques in the UK marked the festival on at least three different days.
Websites such as Moonsighting.com have existed for a number of years, giving the precise details of where it is possible for the moon to be seen.
But the majority of Muslims still use more traditional methods, only celebrating Eid when the moon is seen with the naked eye. This year's embarrassing error may lead more people to use astronomical calculations to decide about the new Islamic month instead of relying on the Saudi methodology.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...ry-ramadan-end
07 September 2011
JEDDAH – In the next few days, Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Civil Aviation Affairs, plans to inspect work done at the new King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA).
Work on the first phase to expand and improve the airport began in January, after Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz laid the foundation stone.
The first phase of project, which will increase the airport’s annual capacity to 30 million passengers, includes a 670,000-square-meter complex for passenger terminals; there will be two terminals for domestic flights and two for international flights.
There will also be 200 counters, a passenger-luggage system with the latest security measures, 96 bridges for passengers to board planes and 46 departure gates divided among 29 for international flights and 17 for domestic flights; eight of the gates will be used for either type of flight.
The first phase of the project also includes four terminals for first- and business-class travelers, a transport center with an Al-Haramain Train station and a 133-meter control tower, which will be the world’s tallest.
Other facets include a duty-free shop, shopping areas, a luxurious 56-room hotel, utilities and support services.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20110907108430
7 September 2011
صحيفة مكة الإلكترونية - مكة المكرمة
تمكنت بفضل الله ست فرق دفاع مدني متنوعة الاختصاص من محاصرة حريق والسيطرة علية نشب عند الساعه السادسة والنصف من صباح هذا اليوم الاربعاء الموافق 9/10/1432 في موقع تخزين موقت (كونتينر) تقدر ابعاده (2×12)م تقريبا يحتوي على معدات وادوات خاصة بالاعمال اليومية بالمشروع يقع داخل مشروع توسعة الحرم المكي الشريف بالشامية وقد اوضح الناطق الاعلامي بالدفاع المدني بالعاصمة المقدسة النقيب صالح العلياني أن سرعة مباشرة الحادث ساهمت ولله الحمد في الحيلولة دون إنتشار الحريق إلى بقية المواقع المجاورة والسقالات الخشبية التابعة للمشروع ولم ينجم عن الحادث اي صابات في الأرواح ولله الحمد ولازال التحقيق جاري لمعرفة الاسباب والخسائر .
http://www.makkahnews.net/news-action-show-id-9519.htm
Google translation:
Civil Defense fire control "container" expansion project Haram al-Sharif Bahamih
E-newspaper Mecca - Mecca
Able thanks to God, six teams of civil defense specialists from a variety of trapping and control of fire broke out at six and a half this morning Wednesday, 9/10/1432 at the site of temporary storage (Container) is estimated to push him away (2 × 12) m has almost the equipment and tools especially the daily work to the project is located within the expansion of the Haram al-Sharif Bahamih the spokesman said the media, civil defense in the capital of the Holy Captain Saleh Alaliani that the speed of direct incident contributed and thankfully in preventing the spread of fire to the rest of the neighboring sites and scaffolding of wood for the project was not caused by the accident of any injuries in the life and thank God and the investigation is still underway to find out the reasons and losses.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
Please wait...
