Makkah News and Updates

9 February 2014 - 09 Rabi Al-Thani 1435 H

MADINAH — An exhibition, titled The Beautiful Names of Allah, has been an attractive destination for pilgrims visiting Madinah since its opening last November.

Inaugurated by Madinah Emir Prince Faisal Bin Salman, the exhibition displays, on large posters, the names of Allah and their meanings. There are also several TV screens that show alternating scenes of nature along with relevant verses of the Holy Qur'an to indicate the power of Allah.

Khadija, an Algerian pilgrim who came to the Kingdom to perform Umrah with her family, said they visited the exhibition after they saw a poster near a building where the exhibition is taking place. “There is nothing that one can say about all these beautiful pictures and videos except Subhanallah,” said Khadija.

Echoing the same view, Iqbal, a Pakistani father of three, said although he has come to the Kingdom on three different occasions with his family to perform Umrah, this is the first time he has seen such an exhibition.

“We typically go to the Prophet’s Mosque, Mount Uhud and some historic mosques here, but this time we visited this exhibition as a group. We all enjoyed it as it was a new experience for all of us and it’s a nice place where children can learn and take photos.”

The exhibition, located close to the western side of the Prophet’s Mosque, was launched to celebrate Madinah as the cultural capital of the Islamic world.

Pilgrims of all nationalities can visit the exhibition and choose guides that speak Arabic, English, French, Turkish, Urdu or Indonesian. The manager of the exhibition, Raja Al-Jihani, said that the exhibition will remain open for another year and be expanded to accommodate additional sections.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140209195142

First Cycle of the Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture 1435 H (2014)

We are delighted to announce the launch of the ‘Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture’ as a global platform to contribute to the development of contemporary mosque architecture. It is our hope that the award will highlight the distinctive designs and architecture of mosques around the world.

The first cycle of this award, in 1435 H, 2014 AD, will focus on mosques that were built in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after 1389 H, 1970 AD

The Award was on 5 February 2014

10 February 2014 - 10 Rabi Al-Thani 1435 H

JEDDAH – Prince Faisal Bin Salman, Emir of Madinah region, offered condolences on Sunday to the families of those killed in a fire at a hotel in Madinah on Saturday.

He was received at the condolences venue at Dar Al-Shakereen Hotel by Egyptian Deputy Consul General Muhammad Burhan, several Egyptian consulate staff, representative of the Egyptian community in Madinah and several relatives of the dead.

Prince Faisal conveyed the condolences of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, and Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier, adviser and special envoy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

The Emir also visited King Fahd Hospital in Madinah and checked on the health of one of the injured female pilgrims receiving medical care at the hospital. She is the only injured person still at the hospital. All others have been discharged from the hospital after treatment.

Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Aty was quoted as saying by Ahram online on Sunday that nine Egyptians were among 13 pilgrims killed in the blaze.

Earlier, Saudi officials said the death toll from the hotel fire has fallen to 13. The governorate’s office had previously announced 15 deaths based on initial hospital reports.

At least 61 Egyptians, along with 136 others, were also injured when the fire broke out in Hotel Ishraq Al-Madinah where around 700 Umrah pilgrims were staying.

Media spokesman of the Directorate of Civil Defense in Madinah Colonel Khaled Mubarak Al-Juhani told Saudi Gazette that 11 of the dead pilgrims have been identified by their relatives.

One was Algerian, one a British citizen and nine were Egyptians, which included two children.

The remaining two are are still to be identified. All deaths were caused by asphyxiation.

Prince Faisal ordered accommodating all evacuated pilgrims in Al-Shakereen hotel near the Prophet’s Mosque.

The Commission of Inquiry began its work with the participation of forensic experts.

Recounting the horror, Jamal Abdul Latif, an Egyptian pilgrim, said he and his family were going down the stairs when the fire alarm started.

“There was smoke everywhere. Luckily, we were close to the first floor. That’s how we left unscathed,” he said.

Mahmoud Abdul Rahman, another Egyptian, said he and his group of 15 pilgrims had a narrow escape and no one sustained any major injuries.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140210195236

10 February 2014 - 10 Rabi Al-Thani 1435 H

MADINAH — On the occasion of Madinah being selected Capital of Islamic Culture 2013 by the Islamic Education Science and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the city is holding an exhibition to celebrate this event under the ages of Madinah Emir Prince Faisal Bin Salman.

Each year ISESCO selects a city in the Islamic world to celebrate Islamic culture and those manifestations are usually celebrated through art and cultural exhibitions.

To coincide with this announcement of the next selected Islamic Cultural Capital and to celebrate the year of Al Madinah Al Munawwarah as the Capital of Islamic Culture 2013, a special world-class exhibition in association with the British Museum is being mounted here. The exhibition will be named ‘Words and Illuminations’ and encompassing art works of calligraphy and photography.

Prince Faisal Bin Salman has actively supported the effort and worked closely with both Venetia Porter of the British Museum and Mohamed Al Edrisi to curate the exhibition. A sneak preview of the exhibition took place in January for the Ministers of Culture from several countries of the Islamic world. The Grand Opening will take place on Feb. 9.

The two components of the exhibition are a selection of Art works from the collection of contemporary works in the British Museums on Arabic calligraphy, augmented by loans of important art works from private collection in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and the wider Islamic world. This effort is organized in cooperation between two leading galleries, Athr Gallery in Jeddah and Agial in Beirut.

In parallel with the calligraphy component of the exhibition, a photography exhibition will be mounted using the first photographs ever taken in Madinah (The Sadeq Bey photographs from 1880 A.D. and Mirza images from 1881 A.D.) as part of a chronological photo essay up to 1920 A.D. These photographs are taken from the collection of Darat Al Malik Abdul Aziz (King Abdul Aziz Foundation), The King Fahd Public Library and the archives of noted International bodies like the Royal Geographic Society and the Barakat Trust.

The historical photography section of the photography exhibition will also coincide with the publication of the book “Al Madinah Al Munawwarah” by the noted photographer and photo researcher Humberto Da Siliviera and his work on these historical photographs is the core of these historical photographs.

In addition to the historic photography component a few important historical objects of Islamic art will also be displayed to complement the photographs.

The second part of the photography exhibition consists of commissioned works by noted Saudi artists with photography as their medium. The artists and photographers have undertaken works that are focused on Madinah and include unusual studies of Al Masjid Al Nabawi, people of Madinah, Madinah region archeology and landscape, as well as aerial photography of the region.

The exhibition will be hosted in a modern building part of the Meridian Hotel complex in the Al Aqeeq District, 7km from the Haram, in Madinah. It has been designed and transformed into a world-class art space by Tarik Alireza Consulting Engineers. This area falls out of the Haram zone thus enabling people of all faiths to visit the exhibition. The duration of the exhibition is 3 months and will be accompanied by two catalogs, one on the calligraphy exhibition and the second on the photography exhibition.

One of the significant precedence that this exhibition establishes is the need to provide in our cities spaces that can host exhibitions for local exhibitors and international partners. The reign of Madinah as capital of Islamic culture in 2013, was indeed a successful one that has taught us that with diligence, perseverance and enlightened leadership, a lot can be achieved and accomplished. This exhibition, as well as the many activities that took place in the last several months shows the intention that Madinah will reassert itself, again, as an Islamic center of learning and culture that it maintained in its first two centuries when the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his companions made it a beacon of piety and learning.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140210195263

 

Al Sudais inspects Mataf work

10 February 2014

India’s quota for Haj 2014 will remain the same as the previous year due to the ongoing expansion work of the grand mosque in Makkah.

A total of 136,000 Indian pilgrims will perform Haj this year, according to Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar.

Last year India’s actual agreement was on a quota of 170,025 which was later reduced to 136,020.

Saudi Arabia has informed India that it will stay committed to the 20 percent reduction of foreign pilgrims and 50 percent inland pilgrims owing to the expansion work in the holy sites. Bandar Hajjar made this statement in a meeting with the Indian Haj delegation led by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed on Sunday, Haj Ministry spokesperson Ali Al-Ghamdi told Arab News.

Hajjar reiterated that the reduction was necessary to facilitate the easy movement of pilgrims inside the Grand Mosque.

The Indian Haj delegation includes Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao, Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai and other senior officials while the Saudi side included Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar, Undersecretary Hatem Qadi and other senior officials.

The Haj Ministry also stated that the “Indian delegation hailed the efforts of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to expand the Grand Mosque and for conducting a smooth Haj in 2013.”

The Indian delegation, which arrived on Saturday, also discussed accommodation and transportation arrangements with the Saudi authorities besides several other topics related to Haj operations.

According to sources, India has emphasized upon the introduction of an electronic service from this year’s Haj season to expedite the Haj process.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/523571

11 February 2014

Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar has been requested to restore the quota of Indian pilgrims to 170,000, according to Indian Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who met him on Sunday to sign the bilateral Haj agreement for Haj 2014.

Ahamed also met separately Rafat Badr, chairman of South Asian Pilgrim Establishment, and witnessed the signing of a subsidiary Haj agreement between the establishment and the Haj committee of India.

“We have been allotted a quota of 136,020 for Haj 2014, same as last year, which is due to 20 percent cut in quota for all foreign pilgrims, because of the ongoing Haram expansion project,” Ahamed told a press conference at the Indian Consulate on Monday.

He said that of the total 136,020, the Haj committee has been allotted 100,020, whereas the private tour operators (PTOs) have been allotted a quota of 36,000.

He said the request to restore the quota is to accommodate at least half of the Haj applicants.

“Last year, there were more than 300,000 applicants for 121,420 seats for the Haj committee,” he said.

He said that since there will be difficulty in hiring local manpower for Haj operations because of Nitaqat, the Haj minister has been requested to allow hiring of local manpower directly as was done in previous years.

At the meetings in Jeddah, the minister was accompanied by Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao; Qaiser Shamim, chairman, Haj committee of India; Mridul Kumar, joint secretary (Gulf and Haj), Ministry of External Affairs; Consul General Faiz Ahmad Kidwai; A.K. Kaushik, director (Haj); Ataur Rahman, chief executive, Haj committee of India; Puja Jindal, director, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh, deputy consul general; and A.D. Souza of Air India.

“We offered assistance in the planned introduction of the electronic path system from the forthcoming Haj, to which the minister agreed and we also made several suggestions to make the system effective, and providing metro train facilities at the holy sites for all pilgrims,” Ahamed said.

Kidwai, the consul general, said that the electronic part is a huge exercise which when completed will be a major advancement. “We are studying it and will confirm on April 1 whether we will implement it for Haj 2014.”

Ahamed said that the other issues discussed included making spaces around metro stations in Muzdalifah free to make the Haj arrangements much better.
He said that the Saudi side also brought up some issues to improve Haj arrangements such as finalizing the flight schedules early, avoiding movement of bulk Hajis from Makkah to Madinah on Dhul Qada 25, and stay of 50 percent of Hajis in Mina till Dhul Hijjah 13.

The consul general said because of the ongoing demolitions the availability of accommodation close to Haram is very limited. He explained that most of the new accommodation that is coming up are hotels near Haram.

“Being expensive, these are not regular pilgrim accommodation,” he said. “Moreover, hotel type of accommodation is not available for the full Haj period of 75 days. They operate on a 15-day cycle. Most of the PTOs put their pilgrims in hotels for 15 days and then shift them to some other place, which is not possible for Haj committee pilgrims.”

According to him, Azizia has become a very good alternative. “The quality of buildings there is good, and there is a regular 24-hour bus service almost right up to the Haram,” said Kidwai.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/524076

 

''Golf Carts'' to transport people

with special needs in Haram yards

Working around the clock in three areas

تعمل على مدار الساعة في 3 مناطق انطلاق
عربات "قولف" لنقل ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة لساحات الحرم

12 February 2014

Russian pilgrims praised the Saudi authorities for their constant efforts to develop and upgrade facilities for Haj pilgrims.

Elias Umakhanov, vice president of the Haj Council of Russian Federation, said it made it easy for them to perform the rituals at the holy sites.

Umakhanov, who is on a visit to the Kingdom, hailed the public transport system between Makkah and Madinah, the train service at the holy sites and the infrastructure projects, Haj Ministry officials said.

The Russian leader met with Haj Minister Bandar Hajar at his office here on Tuesday and discussed the Haj arrangement for Russian Federation pilgrims. He also praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his efforts to ensure comfort of Haj pilgrims.

According the ministry, 16,400 Haj pilgrims from the Russian Federation are expected to perform Haj this year.

Earlier, the Haj minister received Palestine Minister for Waqf and Religious Affairs Mahmoud Siddik Al-Habash at his office. Palestine has agreed to send 5,280 pilgrims for Haj this year.

The Kingdom reiterated the reasons that necessitated cutting quota for foreign pilgrims by 20 percent and 50 percent cut in inland pilgrims due to the ongoing expansion work at the Grand Mosque.

“About 2,500 Haj pilgrims hailing from Gaza Strip will cross into Egypt, and from Cairo, they will fly to Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport,” Emad S. Shaat, consul general of Palestine, told Arab News. The remaining pilgrims from the West Bank will travel to Amman, Jordan, from where they will travel by road to the Kingdom, he said.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/524626

12 February 2014

Police are investigating the suicide of an African expatriate at a washroom in the Prophet’s Mosque.

The body of the 47-year-old private driver was found hanging from a metal wire tied to a toilet door.

According to a coroner’s statement, there were no marks on the body to suggest any criminal involvement in the death, Col. Fahd Al-Ghannam, Madinah police spokesman, said in a statement on Tuesday. A medical report said that the death occurred at 1:30 a.m. The expat had kicked the garbage box on which he was standing from beneath him after securing a metal noose around his neck.

The body is kept at the King Fahd Hospital.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/524661