You have contributed 0.4% of this topic
Mataf expansion updates
________________________________
Makkah Exclusive Mataf Expansion Work 15th November 2014
video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RggEQDnXVlk#t=35
15 November 2014 - by FAISAL BALUBAID @Fhb57
full screen: https://o.twimg.com/2/proxy.jpg?t=HB...ET8v9clIXvlCok
12 November 2014
14 November 2014
Big crane in front of King Abdulaziz gate
17 November 2014
16 November 2014
Thomas James Abercrombie was a National Geographic magazine photographer and writer for 38 years. He died in April 2006. During his years at National Geographic, Abercrombie covered Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia, becoming the magazine's expert on the region. After 1965, Abercrombie frequently covered Saudi Arabia and he converted to the Muslim faith. He became known as the magazine’s greatest expert on the Middle East. For October 1966 issue of the magazine, he took the first photographs of Mecca published in the Western world.
I found these photos from him on Makkah.
Makkah
by Thomas James Abercrombie
Full screen: http://images.nationalgeographic.com...1332857330.jpg
18 November 2014 - by Youssef Ahmed
Wednesday, 19 November 2014 - 26 Muharram 1436
MAKKAH — The Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques is ready to receive more than six million pilgrims with the beginning of the new Umrah season next Sunday.
Sheikh Abdurahman Al-Sudais, head of the presidency, said that the presidency has completed all preparations and arrangements to implement its Umrah Plan of 1436.
“The presidency has mobilized around 8,000 personnel, including women, in addition to cleaning staff to extend the best possible services to the pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah during the Umrah season which will begin on Nov. 23 (Safar 1) and end on July 30 (Shawwal 14),” the Saudi Press Agency reported, quoting him as saying.
Last year, a total of 6.15 million pilgrims from outside the Kingdom performed Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage.
Al-Sudais said the presidency’s plan is aimed at realizing a number of goals, most import of which is extending all kinds of services and facilities to the Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the holy mosques.
“All arrangements are well in place and the presidency is making the arrangements in coordination with the concerned government departments and security agencies, including the governorates of Makkah and Madinah. The presidency will also provide services with regard to enlightening pilgrims on the rituals of Umrah and the related religious topics,” he said.
Al-Sudais said prominent Islamic scholars will deliver lectures on Islamic topics, Friday sermons at the holy mosques will be translated into different languages, including sign language for people with special needs, new arrangements have been made for visiting Al-Rawda Sharif and the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Madinah with three timings for women during day and night.
The presidency chief said that the arrangements also include increasing Zamzam drinking areas, providing wheelchairs for the disabled, and golf cart for carrying elderly pilgrims and worshipers.
Entry to the Grand Mosque
Al-Sudais said new arrangements have been made for entry to the Grand Mosque with the beginning of the third and final phase of the expansion of the mataf (circumambulation area around the Kaaba). The entry for worshipers from the western side will be through the ground floor of King Fahd expansion area and the entry from the eastern side will be through Al-Salam Gate in the basement area of masa (running area between Safa and Marwah). He said that all the floors of the first phase of mataf expansion will be open for pilgrims.
Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar has said the arrangements made during 2012 to restrict the number of pilgrims because of space constraints due to the ongoing expansion of the Grand Mosque will continue in the coming season also.
The ministry made 20 percent and 50 percent cuts in the number of foreign and domestic Haj pilgrims respectively while the period of Umrah visas was reduced from one month to 14 days. The e-tracking system is the major highlight of the e-regulations introduced by the ministry for Umrah service.
The ministry is receiving Umrah visa applications through its global electronic network, which is linked directly to the ministries of interior, foreign affairs and other government agencies.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20141119224902
Thursday, 20 November 2014
MAKKAH — The high-speed Haramain Railway will run seven trains between Makkah and Jeddah in one hour.
The Haramain train will link the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah and Rabigh.
There will be two trains between Makkah and Madinah and four trains between Makkah and Rabigh in a day, and the railway will transport a total of 19,600 passengers in an hour. This was announced by Mohammed Al-Suwaiket, president of the Saudi Railway Organization (SRO).
He made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing a meeting on “Haramain Railway: A development project,” organized by the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Rusaifah railway station, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Suwaiket said that the railway will be a pioneering project with regard to Saudization of jobs.
“There will be around 3,098 officials and employees at the railway, of which about 75 percent will be Saudis. Some of the Saudi staff, including engineers and drivers, are currently receiving training in Spain,” he said. According to Al-Suwaiket, the railway will be the first high speed electric train designed to suite the environment of the Middle East region.
The railway has a plan to transport more than 6.2 billion passengers within 12 years. There will be 35 trains and a special train for the elderly people.
Al-Suwaiket said that 86 percent of the construction work of Makkah railway station in Rusaifah has been completed at a cost of over SR3 billion. Speaking on the occasion, Maher Jamal, president of Makkah chamber, said that the railway will be instrumental in having massive facelift of Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and Rabigh. The 450 km railway, with a speed of 300 km per hour, is estimated to cost SR37.5 billion.
Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry recently said that 80 percent of the project had been completed and that railway lines had been laid in some places.
Apart from relieving road congestion for millions of pilgrims and citizens, the rail track is expected to cut down the amount of time taken to travel between Makkah and Madinah to two hours, and between Jeddah and Makkah to half an hour.
The project includes high-speed trains fitted with the latest equipment and five ultra-modern passenger stations – one each in Makkah, Madinah and Rabigh and two in Jeddah.
The project is over two years late and was originally planned to open in 2012 after starting of construction in March 2009. As of August 2014, the Madinah - Rabigh section is scheduled for services by the end of 2015, suggesting a phased opening.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20141120225056
Makkah station - November 2014
Rabigh station (KAEC) - November 2014
Thursday, 20 November 2014
MAKKAH — A young Saudi man won the 36th King Abdulaziz International Holy Qur’an Competition on Wednesday.
www.alquran.gov.sa
https://twitter.com/quran_gov
Omar Hussein Ba Issa won the first prize of SR120,000 for delivering a top class performance in the category of memorization of the Holy Qur’an, mastery of recitation rules and interpretation of the words mentioned in the chapters.
Abdullah Hamad Abu Sharidah, from Qatar, also impressed the judges and won first place in the second category of memorization of the holy book and mastery of recitation rules. He won SR100,000.
The first prize of SR55,000 for the third category of memorization of 15 parts of the Holy Qur’an and mastery of recitation rules went to Salim Abdullah Quwearib from Libya.
Ehsan Abdulhaneef Bashar Al-Deen, from South Africa, won first prize of SR35,000 for the fourth category of five parts of the Holy Qur’an and mastery of recitation rules.
Sheikh Salih Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call and Guidance, congratulated the winners.
A total of 138 people participated in the competition and 78 of them were nominated for the finals, which took place at the Grand Mosque.
Ten contestants participated in the first category, 30 in the second, 29 in the third, and nine in the fourth.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20141120225019
Mataf expansion updates
November 2014
20 November 2014
http://www.makkahnewspaper.com/makka...l#.VG7Fi2eqKa8
19 November 2014
14 November 2014
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
Please wait...
