Makkah News and Updates

Prophet's Mosque expansion progress

June 2014

New Guide to the Prophet's Mosque

إصدار الدليل الإرشادي للمسجد النبوي

6 July 2014

أصدرت وكالة الرئاسة العامة لشؤون المسجد النبوي الشريف دليلاً إرشادياً للمسجد النبوي والمنطقة المركزية المحيطة به.

وأظهر الدليل الجديد خريطة للمنطقة المركزية اشتملت على مواقع إرشاد التائهين القريبة من الساحات والمراكز الصحية والأمنية والخدمية بالمنطقة المركزية، إلى جانب أسماء ومواقع أبواب المسجد النبوي ومواقع مداخل مواقف السيارات للمسجد النبوي.

كما تضمن الدليل الجديد بياناً بأسماء الفنادق المحيطة بالمسجد ومواقعها ورموزها حسب الأحياء وترتيبها الأبجدي, إضافة إلى أسماء الأحياء والشوارع المحيطة بالمسجد النبوي ومواقعها.


http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/saudi-to...%88%D9%8A.html

Google translation: Agency of the General Presidency for Prophet's Mosque issued a guide to the Prophet's Mosque and the central area surrounding it.

And showed a new guide map of the area that included the central sites instruct Drifters near arenas, health centers, security and services in the central area, along with the names and locations of the doors of the mosque entrances and parking sites for the Prophet's Mosque.

The new manual also included a statement of hotels surrounding the mosque and their locations and their symbols by neighborhoods and arranged alphabetically, in addition to the names of the streets and neighborhoods surrounding the mosque of the Prophet and their locations.

sermon translation service


Non-Arabic speaking visitors to the Prophet's mosque listen to the translation of Friday sermon through
headsets provided by the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques

Tuesday, 08 July 2014

MADINAH – Non-Arabic speaking Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah commended the service of live translation of Friday sermons introduced at the two holy mosques.

They thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for launching this great service that helped them understand the sermons delivered from the pulpits of Makkah and Madinah Harams.

Muhammad Amjad, a Pakistani pilgrim, said that the live translation has benefited him and other pilgrims a lot.


“It is a wonderful experience to listen to such a great sermon in our mother tongue,” he said.

Ismail Yekano, a pilgrim from Nigeria, said Muslims from across the world are amazed to see such remarkable services being offered to them at the holy mosques.

Yousef, a Filipino, described the live translation as “one of the precious gifts from the King to the Muslims from around the world.”

Mukhtar Muhammad, an Indian pilgrim, said that the translation of sermons impressed him a lot.

Abdullah Al-Hitab, director of the department for translation service, unveiled plans to make available translations of Friday sermons through the department’s website.

The translation service, by qualified translators, is available in four languages – English, Urdu, French and Malay.

Non-Arabic speaking worshippers have been supplied with headsets and compact audio devices to benefit from the service. The device is connected to FM frequency that broadcasts the translation of the Arabic sermon delivered by the imams at the holy mosques.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140708210872

3,000 volunteers help pilgrims in Makkah

Wednesday 9 July 2014

More than 3,000 young volunteers are taking part in the ninth consecutive "Youth of Makkah at Your Service” program to help pilgrims and visitors at the Grand Mosque.

Khaled Al-Wafi, the program manager, said the volunteers help the elderly and people with disabilities during their Tawaf or circumambulation around the Kaaba.

The program is being run with the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

He said volunteers work 24 hours a day in shifts at the Grand Mosque.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/598901

Saudi women volunteer to serve pilgrims

Wednesday, 09 July 2014

MAKKAH — A total of 500 young Saudi women and girls from various parts of the Kingdom have joined the Saudi Red Crescent Society as volunteers to provide paramedic, rescue and emergency services to pilgrims inside the Grand Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.

Long before the start of Ramadan, the Red Crescent advertised in the local newspapers asking for women volunteers to work as paramedics and rescuers in the Grand Mosque during the fasting month.

The society was specifically looking for doctors, pharmacists, nurses and technicians to join its teams at the Grand Mosque.

Spokeswoman of the Red Crescent, Mashaiel Al-Shamrani, said women volunteers were deployed in 15 locations inside the Grand Mosque. “Each location will have a medical doctor, a pharmacist and a nurse,” she said.

She said women volunteers will obtain practical experience from their work with the Red Crescent.

“They will be able to deal with sick people and hence add practical experience to their theoretical studies,” she said.

Al-Shamrani said each volunteer should have experience in first aid and attended a training course in basic life support. “The volunteer should also obtain the approval of her male guardian,” she added.

Raghdah Al-Mihmadi, a student of pharmacology at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, said she considers her volunteer work with the Red Crescent as a charity deed. “I will provide paramedical services to the emergency cases and will thus gain reward from Allah,” she said.

Hadeel Khoj, a medicine student at KAU, said most of the diseases the pilgrims complain about are arthritis, headaches, dizziness, fever, high blood pressure, diabetes and others. She said they will try to treat patients inside the Grand Mosque but if their conditions do not improve they will be transported to the nearest hospital in Makkah.

Rahma Bukhari, a medicine student at Al-Batarjee Medical College, said she volunteered for humanitarian and spiritual reasons to serve the guests of God.

“The little medicine we give will make thousands of Umrah pilgrims happy during the fasting month,” she added.

Suhaila Binaimin, a nursing student, said she comes every day from Jeddah to Makkah to serve the guests of God.

“I also use the opportunity to pray at the Grand Mosque,” she said.

She said these pilgrims have crossed long distances to arrive in the Kingdom so it is her duty to serve them. She added that many of them would not have the money to get treatment in private hospitals.

“Therefore, we provide them with medication right inside the Grand Mosque,” she added.

Hala Salma, a medicine student at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, said they have a communication problem with some of the pilgrims who do not speak Arabic or English.

“We often try to use sign language to understand their problems,” she said.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140709211023