Makkah News and Updates

Saturday 24 January 2015

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has died, state television reported early on Friday and his brother Salman became king, it said in a statement attributed to Salman.

King Salman has called on the family's Allegiance Council to pay allegiance to Muqrin as his crown prince and heir.

http://www.arabnews.com/breaking-news/news/693731

 

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raajioon

 

Funeral Prayer for King Abdullah

bin Abdulaziz Performed

Saturday, 24 January 2015

Two of Islam’s three holy mosques — the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah — are currently witnessing the largest ever expansion in history. The Saudi authorities have given top priority to serving Haj and Umrah pilgrims as well as to develop the two holy mosques ever since the Kingdom was formed.

King Abdul Aziz and his successors have made immense contributions to improve the facilities and upgrade the services for pilgrims by spending over SR250 billion.

In the history of the two holy mosques a new era began with the launch of the current massive expansion and making available of the best ever facilities and services for pilgrims by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah since he ascended the throne in August 2005. He dedicated the new expansion to the Islamic world. Tipped as the best environment-friendly design with high tech safety standards, the ongoing expansion is designed to increase the capacity of the Grand Mosque and courtyards to 2.6 million and Prophet’s Mosque to about 2 million worshippers.

King Abdullah laid the foundation stone for the expansion of the Grand Mosque at a ceremony held in Makkah on Aug. 19, 2011. Described as the “Project of the Century”, the King Abdullah Expansion Project is estimated to cost SR80 billion. The total area of the existing mosque is 356,000 sq. meters accommodating 770,000 worshippers while the new expansion covering an area of 456,000 sq. meters will accommodate an additional 1.2 million worshippers. Courtyards of the mosque’s new expansion can hold more than 250,000 worshipers. The Ministry of Finance is supervising the expansion project, which is being implemented by the Saudi Binladin Group.

The pilgrims partially benefited from the expanded structure during last Haj. These included the entire ground and first floors of the annex building, and the first and second mezzanine floors. A total area of 167,784 sq. meters in the annex building and 118,790 sq. meters of courtyards around the structure were opened for pilgrims. The annex building’s main gate is named after King Abdullah and it has two new minarets, bringing the mosque’s total number of minarets to 11. More than 10,000 toilets and thousands of ablution areas and drinking water spouts have been set up in the courtyards of the mosque. More areas of the mosque have been air-conditioned and these included first floor of the first Saudi expansion from Safa staircase to the middle of King Fahd expansion.

The expansion project consists of three parts: Construction of a new building; expansion and development of courtyards around the mosque, including walkways, tunnels and toilets; and development of service facilities for air-conditioning, electricity and drinking water.

A 1,200-meter tunnel would be constructed from the end of the expansion site passing through Jabal Al-Hind while another tunnel with a length of 1,100 meters will be built under Jabal Madafie. An emergency 700-meter tunnel crossing the other two tunnels will be constructed, starting from Jabal Al-Kaaba. The entire roof of the Grand Mosque and mataf will have air-conditioned sunshades.

Mataf expansion

As part of the project, expansion of mataf (circumambulation area around the Holy Kaaba) is being implemented in three phases over a period of three years. The expansion, which started on Nov. 15, 2012, will triple the capacity of mataf from the existing 48,000 to 150,000 pilgrims an hour when it is completed.

The first phase also consists of the sound, lighting and air-conditioning system, and mataf for the pilgrims with special needs. The second phase was started after Haj of 2013 and works on the third phase will begin after the current Haj season. Top standards of safety and quality are being maintained while implementing the project. A total of 7,000 pilgrims an hour are benefitting from the two temporary circular bridges.

Mataf on the second and third floors will have cable cars to carry elderly and disabled pilgrims and there will be direct access to these floors from outside. The top floor of the mataf will have an automated walkway revolving around the Holy Kaaba. The mataf structure will also be tremor proof. The Abbasid-Ottoman era portico of the Grand Mosque, demolished for the mataf expansion, will be refurbished and restored once the expansion work is over.

The Turkish Gursoy Group, an international firm specialized in renovation of buildings, is currently finishing the Herculean task of refurbishing of removed pieces and parts of the portico.

While launching the Haram expansion project in August 2011, King Abdullah also inaugurated the newly expanded masaa (the running area between Safa and Marwa), the King Abdulaziz Endowment Towers including the Makkah Clock Tower, the Jamarat Bridge complex in Mina and the Mashair Railway. As part of the project, expansion of masaa, which is located inside the mosque, was completed earlier, and this increased masaa’s capacity from 44,000 to 118,000 pilgrims an hour. The expansion, which took three years from 2007-09, increased the area from 29,400 to 87,000 sq. meters and the running course has been widened from 20 meters to 40 meters. Now pilgrims can perform the ritual of sa’i comfortably from all five levels — basement, ground, first, second and third floors and the roof.

Jamarat Bridge

The hi-tech Jamarat Bridge is another milestone of King Abdullah’s achievements in serving the pilgrims. The SR4.2 billion mammoth multilevel bridge was completed in 2009. The completion of the project, which allows pilgrims to hurl pebbles at pillars symbolizing Satan from all five levels of the bridge, has ensured a smooth and hassle-free stoning ritual that witnessed deadly stampedes in the past.

The bridge, an architectural wonder, is 950 meters long and 80 meters wide, and each floor is 12 meters high. The entire project is designed to hold 12 stories and as many as 5 million pilgrims in the future if the need arises. The project also includes three tunnels and provides 11 entrances and 12 exits in all four directions. It has a helipad for airlifting pilgrims in case of emergency. The Jamarat project also includes an air-conditioning system backed by water sprinklers that can reduce the temperature to about 29 degrees Celsius.

Earlier, the government spent SR4 billion to build the fireproof tent city in Mina. A total of 40,000 tents were erected on an area of 250,000 sq. meters and it has the capacity to accommodate more than one million pilgrims. It took three years to complete the fire-proof tent city whose work started immediately after a huge fire that swept through thousands of tents, killing more than 300 pilgrims on April 25, 1997. The authorities have constructed six 12-story buildings that can accommodate 20,000 pilgrims in Mina mountain slopes, besides unveiling plans to build another 212 residential towers.

Prophet’s Mosque

King Abdullah laid corner stone for the expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque during his visit to the holy city on Sept. 24, 2012. Later in March 2013, the King approved the master plan for the mosque’s expansion, after experts made necessary changes onto the plan as per his instructions. The King ordered quick implementation of the expansion of the mosque’s northern, eastern and western parts within a period of two years. Once the expansion is completed, the mosque will have a total area of 1.1 million sq. meters with the capacity to accommodate an additional 1.6 million worshippers.

Head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais described the new expansion work as unprecedented. He said the first phase of the expansion would cover construction of multistory buildings within the periphery of the existing northern courtyard, and the flat roof of the entire mosque structure. There will be a main gate for the new building with two main minarets and two side minarets at the corners of the building. The first phase will add prayer space for 800,000 worshippers. In the second and third phases, the eastern and western courtyards will be added to the mosque and thus increasing the capacity to accommodate another 800,000 worshippers.

The mosque will have 27 new domes. The project includes a helipad for airlifting patients to hospitals, and new roads separated from pedestrian pathways, in addition to a tunnel for pedestrian traffic with escalators.

According to sources, the expansion project also covers massive development of the central Haram area and the unplanned neighborhoods, with the holy mosque as the core center. The expansion will draw on the rich Islamic history of the Prophet’s City and the Islamic architectural designs of the mosque. The surrounding buildings will also be developed on the same pattern.

There will be a system for moisturizing and softening the air in the summer season. This will be through setting up of two stations to pump sterilized water at the sprawling parking area in the basement of the mosque courtyards.

As many as 436 water sprinklers will be installed on 218 pillars to be set up at all the plazas around the mosque. A total of 200,000 pilgrims will benefit from 250 sunshades erected in the courtyards of the mosque.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150124231511

Saturday 24 January 2015

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman took charge as the new ruler of Saudi Arabia on Friday in a smooth transition following the death of King Abdullah and pledged to continue the current government policies to ensure stability and unity in the country.

Addressing the nation, King Salman also urged the citizens to pledge their allegiance to Crown Prince Muqrin and Deputy Crown Prince and Interior Minister Muhammad bin Naif.

“We will continue by the grace of Allah and His strength to follow the right path … and will never deviate from it. Our constitution is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet, peace be upon him,” the king said.
King Salman said all existing ministers would continue in their positions without change.

He appointed Prince Mohammed bin Salman as defense minister and head of the royal court and the king’s private secretary.

Hamad Al-Suwailem was appointed head of the crown prince’s court with the rank of a minister while Gen. Hamad Al-Ouhali was named commander of the royal guards.

He commended the services extended by King Abdullah for the nation, the wider Muslim community and the Arab world.

He also asked Allah to help him to carry out his duties in the best manner.
Quoting from the Qur’an to highlight the transience of life, the king said that everyone on earth would die and have to face their Creator. “With a heart filled with grief and sadness,” he extended condolences to the “loyal Saudi people and the Arab and Islamic nation” on King Abdullah’s death.

He said King Abdullah had dedicated his entire life to strengthen his religion, his nation and people, defending the causes of the Arab and Islamic worlds. “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return,” he said stressing the reality of death.

King Salman also urged Arabs and Muslims to seek solidarity in the face of challenges currently confronting them. He said this would be the policy of Saudi Arabia as it moves to tackle obstacles facing it.

“We will continue in this country, which Allah has honored by choosing it as the platform for His message and the Qibla (direction to which Muslims turn while praying), to boost unity and defend our nation’s causes.” He said the Kingdom would be guided by the teachings of Islam, which is a religion of “peace, mercy and moderation.”

The king added: “I ask Allah to guide me to serve our dear people, realize their hopes, preserve our country and nation’s security and stability, and to protect it from evil. He is able to do that and there is no strength except with the support of Allah.”

Meanwhile, King Salman, Crown Prince Muqrin, deputy premier, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, interior minister and second deputy premier, received at Al-Hukm Palace on Friday a group of citizens including princes and the grand mufti, who came to take their oath of allegiance on the basis of Qur’an and Sunnah.

In a statement on Friday, Prince Muqrin commended King Abdullah’s great services to the nation. He wished every success for King Salman to carry out his duties in the service of the nation and the Arab and Islamic Ummah, adding that the king’s wisdom and expertise are required to overcome the present challenges.

http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/693991 Sunday 25 January 2015

Thousands of tearful mourners descended on Al-Yamamah Palace on Saturday to offer condolences to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman following the death of King Abdullah on Friday.

Islamic scholars, tribal chiefs and officials also pledged allegiance to King Salman in the ceremony seen as a public endorsement of the new king.

After pledging his allegiance, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh said: “On this blessed day, we pledge allegiance to King Salman as the legitimate king, Prince Muqrin as crown prince, Prince Mohammed bin Naif as deputy crown prince.” He added: “Dear brothers and sisters, we must maintain security and stability in the Kingdom.”

He offered King Salman religious advice, praying to God to support him and grant him patience. The royal court will also hold a condolence ceremony on Sunday night.

Speaking to Arab News, Amin Al-Jaafri, deputy speaker of the Shoura Council, said: “We have lost a wise leader (King Abdullah), who dedicated his life and efforts to serve his nation, and he remained the guardian of security and stability in the country as well as in the region.”

Al-Jaafri added: “He played a major role in strengthening solidarity among Arab countries and he was the ardent promoter of interfaith dialogue and peace in the region. He also rejected violence and extremism that affected peaceful coexistence.”

Owaidah A. Awaji, a faculty member of King Saud University, said: Such a huge presence of mourners today indicates that what matters for average citizen is not the international relations, but the present and the future of the Saudi generation.”

Awaji added: “More than a century has passed since Saudi Arabia’s unification, and the Kingdom today is standing strong while many neighboring countries are experiencing upheavals.”

He said the business would be as usual on Sunday. “There is no specified mourning period as per Shariah, which prohibits ostentatious displays of grief or mourning, akin to idolatry.”

Commenting on the new king, Bruce Riedel, senior fellow and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project, said: “King Salman presided over the remarkable transformation with a record for good governance and a lack of corruption since he was appointed as governor of Riyadh region.”

http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/694516

Monday 26 January 2015

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has become a widely followed world leader on Twitter, while his popularity is progressively growing on other social media networks. The new king has overtaken many leaders on the popular microblogging site, and he is currently being followed on all social sites by Saudi citizens, scholars and world leaders.

“Following the death of King Abdullah, the newly crowned King Salman gained thousands of Twitter followers,” said a social media monitoring site called Topsy. It disclosed that the new king’s twitter followers increased to 1.61 million until Sunday. King Salman changed his Twitter name from @HRHPSalman to @KingSalman and hours later, his new handle received more than 130,000 mentions on the network, it said.

“The growth in terms of the number of followers is mainly because of King Salman’s reputation as a visionary and hard-working leader,” said an IT expert. Referring to the king’s Twitter account, he said that King Salman wrote after King Abdullah’s death the following words: “God rest the soul of King Abdullah…” The king later tweeted: “I am asking God to help me serve the dear people and realize their dreams, and protect our country, ensure security and stability, and protect us from all evils.”

PR specialist Saleh Al-Johani said that the king is being widely mentioned on social media. There is an atmosphere of excitement and activity with the curiosity to know about Saudi Arabia and its leadership following the sad demise of King Abduallah as people around the world reacted to his death on social media with deep sorrow.

Soon it became a trending topic on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with people from across the globe congratulating the new king and offering condolences on the death of King Abdullah. Reacting to the news of King Abdullah's death, there were thousands of posts on websites praying for him. One Neha Adil Mustapha wrote on FB wall: “May Allah accept his great deeds and place him high in Jannah....Ameen. Insha’Allah.”

Another one, Anessa Usman Tan, wrote: “No Doubt he was a king of humanity ... He was very helpful both to Muslim and non-Muslim countries... May Allah grant him Jannah."

As he was respected across religious lines, Rose Berry, a Filipino, commented on Facebook: “You were indeed one of the greats of your time ... Thank you for helping Yolanda victims.”

An overwhelming 87 percent of Saudi users of social media are men, who are currently watching and participating in the new developments. A number of posts have called on the new king to help solve regional issues, while many of them have drawn parallels between the founder of the Kingdom, late King Abdul Aziz, and King Salman, who inherited many of his father’s traits and skills, including his faith and a passion for knowledge.

King Salman is an avid reader of history, sociology, politics and economy, and his personal library, which he has amassed over several decades, testifies to his love of culture.

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/694946 Wednesday 28 January 2015

A member of the Council of Senior Scholars said pledging allegiance to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman through social networking websites is allowed, especially since the monarch is the first Saudi king to have a Twitter account.

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manie, a member of the council, said that any citizen can use social media to pledge allegiance to King Salman, stressing the importance of this gesture in Islam, local media reported.

Social networking websites during the past two days have remained an active platform used by Saudi citizens to offer condolences to the royal family on the passing away of King Abdullah and pledge allegiance to the country’s new leadership.

“On Twitter, there are more than one million tweets pledging allegiance to King Salman, while there were over a million messages during the past three days on the same site condoling the death of King Abdullah,” Saeed Jadallah, a social network expert told Arab News.

A flurry of activities on the social media during the past few days have reflected Saudis’ interest in the latest developments and their desire to pledge their allegiance and support to the new leadership. “The Kingdom has more than two million Twitter users, which is the highest number in the Arab world, making up 45 percent of all Twitter users in the Arab countries,” Jadallah added.

“Furthermore, many Saudis found pledging allegiance to King Salman through their accounts on Twitter and others social websites easier than going to their respective governorates,” he said.

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/695856 Tuesday 27 January 2015

With the pledge of allegiance this week, King Salman became the third Saudi monarch to take up the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques after King Fahd and King Abdullah.

Historian Hassan Al-Basha says in his book, Positions and Titles, that Saladin was the first king to take up the title as a means to attain closeness to Allah when he was fighting the Crusaders.

The second to take up the title was Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Abu Nasr Barsbay in the Mamluk era, the historian said. The first Ottoman sultan to use the title was Salim I.

King Faisal was the person who first introduced the title Khadim Al-Haramain Al-Sharifain in Saudi Arabia. When the kiswa, or covering, of the Kaaba was made during his reign, King Faisal said that he did not want his name on it. He preferred to say that the kiswa was made “during the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.”

After King Faisal’s death, King Khaled did not use the title. However, King Fahd took up the title when he became monarch in 1982.

After the death of King Fahd, King Abdullah ascended the throne in August 2005 and asked the people not to refer to him as “King of Hearts” or “King of Humanity” because Allah is the true king and humans are His slaves.

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/695351

Tuesday 27 January 2015

A new era dawned in Saudi Arabia on Monday under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman as citizens across the country expressed their confidence in the new king’s ability to take the Kingdom to new heights of progress and prosperity.

The three-day mourning period for the late King Abdullah ended Sunday. King Salman, Crown Prince Muqrin, Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif and other royal family members had received condolences from world leaders and citizens on Saturday and Sunday.

Saudis in the Kingdom and abroad have pledged their allegiance to the country’s new leaders, in personal meetings or through regional governors and ambassadors abroad.

On Sunday, thousands of citizens stood in line in front of Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh to meet King Salman. According to a report carried by Asharq Al-Awsat, there was no blockade in front of the palace to restrict entry.

“There was no discrimination. Everybody, including princes, ministers, Shoura members and ordinary citizens were allowed to meet the king without following any protocol,” the report said.

Citizens from across the Kingdom came in their traditional attire. Sheikh Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Khereiji, an elderly man who was imam of the big mosque in Al-Kharj, made his way to the palace in a wheelchair.

The man’s son, Abdul Aziz, said his father had met all the previous six kings. “He was a member of the delegation set up by King Abdul Aziz to receive King Farouk of Egypt when the latter visited the Kingdom on Jan. 24, 1945,” the son said.

Al-Khereiji was appointed by King Abdul Aziz as a secretary in Al-Kharj and was in charge of distributing land among citizens. He established contact with King Salman when he was appointed the governor of Riyadh in 1955, the son said.

The smooth transition in Saudi Arabia following the death of King Abdullah has won applause from Saudis and foreign leaders. Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Qattan said the smooth transition has strengthened citizens’ confidence in the new leadership.

Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency after receiving citizens who came to express their condolences and pledge their allegiance to the new leadership, Qattan said Saudis have been impressed by King Salman’s wisdom and administrative expertise.

“King Salman has been in the government for the last 60 years, dedicating his life to the service of the Kingdom and its people. All Saudis will definitely rally behind their wise leadership as usual,” the ambassador said.

In his keynote speech after ascending the throne, King Salman said that his government would follow the straight path, based on the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, without deviating from the policies of his predecessors.

The new leadership has taken over at a time when Saudi Arabia faces several challenges including falling oil prices — the Kingdom depends on oil for about 90 percent of its revenue — and the threat posed by the so-called Islamic State terrorist group in the north and the Houthis in the south.

“It is no secret that there has been no major change for several decades in Saudi foreign policy. It has always been based on certain basic principles and various geographic, historical, religious, economic, security and political factors,” said Salman Aldossary, editor in chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.

He said noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries, establishing strong relations with Gulf, Arab and Islamic countries, supporting Arab and Islamic causes and cooperation with other friendly countries, are the hallmarks of Saudi foreign policy. This included the Kingdom’s continuous efforts to ensure stability in the international oil market because it is one of the world’s largest oil producers, he said.

Mohammed bin Daqqas, a former employee at the royal court, said King Salman has always insisted on punctuality and hard work. “When he was the governor of Riyadh, he used to look into the matters of citizens himself. One day when he was outside the Kingdom, he contacted an official at the governorate to attend to the case of a citizen.

The official had left the office 30 minutes before the end of the working day. He then asked the official to return to the office and complete the work for that citizen.”

http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/695361 Friday 30 January 2015

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman announced a massive Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, appointing Azzam Al-Dakhil, new education minister, Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khateeb new health minister, Adel Al-Toraifi, minister of culture and information and Abdul Lateef bin Abdul Malik Al-Asheikh new minister of municipal and rural affairs.

King Salman, who ascended the throne on Friday, reappointed Prince Khaled Al-Faisal as governor of Makkah in place of Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah and Prince Faisal bin Bandar governor of Riyadh, replacing Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. He removed Prince Bandar bin Sultan from the position of the secretary-general for National Security Council and special envoy of the king.

Walid bin Mohammed Al-Samaani is the new justice minister, who replaces Mohammed Al-Eissa while Saleh bin Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh was reinstated Islamic affairs minister, replacing Sulaiman Abalkhail. He merged the higher education ministry with the Ministry of Education.

Other new ministers are: Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel, minister of telecommunications and information technology; Majed bin Abdullah Al-Qassabi minister of social affairs; Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadli, agriculture minister; Khaled bin Abdullah Al-Araj, minister of civil service; Saad bin Khaled Al-Jabari state minister; and Mohammed bin Abdul Malik Al-Asheikh, state minister.

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf, National Guard Minister Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, Labor Minister Adel Fakeih and Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen retained their positions.

Other Cabinet members are: Crown Prince Muqrin, deputy premier; Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior; Prince Mansour bin Miteb, state minister and adviser to the king; Prince Mohammed bin Salman, defense minister; and Matlab Al-Nafeesa, state minister; and Musaed Al-Aiban, state minister.

Housing Minister Shuwaish Al-Dhuwaihi, Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar, Economy and Planning Minister Muhammed Al-Jasser, Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Transport Minister Abdullah Al-Muqbil will remain in their positions. Other ministers who retained their positions were: State Minister for Shoura Affairs Mohammed bin Faisal Abusaq, and State Minister Essam bin Saad bin Saeed.

King Salman appointed Khaled bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Muhaisen as president of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha), replacing Mohammed Al-Sharief.

Intelligence chief Prince Khaled bin Bandar was relieved and Gen. Khaled bin Ali Al-Humaidan was named the new chief. Prince Khaled bin Bandar, Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz bin Musaed and Prince Abdul Aziz bin Sattam have been named advisers to the king with the rank of minister.

King Salman dissolved a number of bodies such as the Higher Committee for Educational Policy, Higher Committee for Administrative Organization, Civil Service Council, the Higher Commission for King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology, Higher Education and Universities Council, Higher Council for Education, Higher Council for Petroleum and Mineral Affairs, Supreme Economic Council, National Security Council (NSC), Supreme Council for King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and Supreme Council for the Affairs of the Handicapped.

Two new councils have been established: The Council for Political and Security Affairs and the Council for Economic and Development Affairs. The two councils will be closely linked with the Council of Ministers. The commission of experts will continue as one of the agencies of the Cabinet’s general secretariat.

The Council for Political and Security Affairs will have nine members and will be chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Naif.

The 22-member Council for Economic and Development Affairs will be chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

King Salman also reshuffled the general committee for Cabinet under the chairmanship of Musaed Al-Aiban.

Other major appointments were: Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, deputy minister of petroleum and minerals with the rank of minister; Prince Turki bin Saud, president of King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology with the rank of minister; Hazim bin Mustafa Zagzoug, head of the king’s private affairs; Fahd Abdullah Al-Samari, adviser at the Royal Court; Mohammed bin Sulaiman Al-Ajaji, head of experts commission at the Cabinet; Yahya bin Abdullah Al-Samaan, assistant president of the Shoura Council; Abdul Rahman Al-Hussayen, president of the Control and Investigation Board; Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan, president of Capital Market Authority; Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation replacing Prince Fahd bin Abdullah; Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah Al-Sanad, president of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, replacing Abdullatif Al-Asheikh; Nabeel bin Mohammed Al-Aamoudi, president of the Saudi Ports Authority, replacing Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaijri; and Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, mayor of Riyadh. Mohammed bin Abdul Kareem Al-Eissa has been removed from his position as member of the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars, one decree said.

http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/696656

Wednesday, 28 January 2015 - 08 Rabi Al-Thani 1436 H

JEDDAH — More than a million pilgrims have either arrived or departed through King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) since the Umrah season started on Dec. 7.

Quoting a report by the airport's management, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday that 523,672 pilgrims are still in the Kingdom performing Umrah in Makkah or visiting Madinah while 484,613 have departed for their respective homes.

The report said since the beginning of the season, a total of 4,901 flights have either landed or taken off from the airport.

Abdul Hameed Aba Al-Ary, director general of the airport, said all concerned departments are prepared to deal with the busy period at the airport during the Umrah season.

He said the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Makkah Governorate and the Haj Ministry have formulated a comprehensive plan to properly handle the hectic operational activities at KAIA during the Umrah season, which will continue up to July 7.

He explained the first phase of the Umrah season would end on May 18. The second phase will then start and end during Ramadan.

“After that, all flights will be directed to land at the Haj terminal of KAIA,” he added.

The director described the third phase of the Umrah season, which will run from July 7-31, as the peak period and said a large number of staff will be deployed to serve the pilgrims from their arrival until departure.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150128231849

28 January 2015

The Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has installed 14 huge electronic screens around the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and the Grand Mosque in Makkah to guide and enlighten pilgrims and visitors.

The presidency has also installed 32 middle screens on lighting posts in the squares of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.

A large number of technicians have been trained to program and operate the giant screens.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150129232005

 

Haramain High Speed Rail

First trial train arrives in Jeddah