Makkah News and Updates

to open in Saudi Arabia

13 May 2015

Abraj Kudai is to become the world's largest hotel located in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and upon completion, will offer 10,000 rooms in 12 separate towers.
Designed by Dar Al Handasah, the project has a total built area of 1.4 million metre square and will be set in the Manafia area in Makkah's central zone.

The $3.5 billion hospitality project is already on site and comprises of 12 towers with a total of 10,000 rooms, 70 restaurants, rooftop helipads, royal floors and a full size convention centre, all roofed under what will become one of the largest domes in the world.

The architecture is set to create an iconic landmark that will reflect a contemporary interpretation of a traditional desert fortress.

London-based design practice Areen Hospitality has been appointed to design the interior spaces, which will be complete with palatial luxury typical of the region.

10 of the towers are intended to provide four-star accommodation while the remaining two will offer luxurious five-star amenities.

"We are honoured to be trusted with such a challenge. Designing hotel interiors on such a massive scale, with no operators yet in place, requires complex programming and design resourcing. At Areen Hospitality we allow for this and have the experience to respond to such a challenge, without ever losing the creative essence needed to welcome and surprise the guests expected at Abraj Kudai," said Andrew Lindwood, head of design at Areen Hospitality.

Abraj Kudai is expected to be completed in 2017.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/revea...l#.VVNZlPmqqkr

Saudi Arabia’s Madinah airport
‘lacks bank services’


Travelers through Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport
complained about the lack of banking services at the airport.

Wednesday, 13 May 2015

Travelers through Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport complained about the lack of banking services at the airport, Al-Madina reported.

Mustafa Al-Qabali, a citizen, said the airport is usually very crowded because it is an entrance for pilgrims to the Prophet’s Mosque and the Grand Mosque.

He said: “It is not fully equipped with the services and facilities available at other international airports in the Kingdom.

“There are only two ATMs and no currency exchange machines.” He added there are no booths allowing people to access the online facilities of the Ministry of Interior.

“The airport is wonderful and fully functional but bank services are very important for travelers. “A month has already passed since the banks were ordered to open branches at the airport. How long will it take them to do so?”

The General Authority of Civil Aviation’s communications and marketing head Assistant Wael Al-Sarhan said the authority has taken the complaints into consideration.

“The terminals at the airport are fairly new and the implementation phase is still ongoing. “There will be banks alongside other commercial outlets at the terminals soon.

There will also be a fingerprinting booth for visitors to access the Ministry of Interior’s ‘Absher’ online portal there as well.”

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/busi...services-.html

New Madinah Airport

History of taxicabs in the Kingdom

Friday, 15 May 2015 - 26 Rajab 1436

In bygone times, people in the Arabian Peninsula used to travel on foot or by other modes of primitive transport such as camels, horses and even donkeys. This was the case until the arrival of motor vehicles in the last century which revolutionized transport.

As the population of Saudi Arabia increased and urban centers began to grow with an increased number of villages, towns and cities, taxis became a common feature of our streets. Taxis allowed people to travel distances that would have normally taken hours on foot or animal, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.

In the early days around 50 years ago, taxis were mainly pickup trucks which members of the public would buy and use as taxis to earn a living. Roads were unpaved and taxis that operated between cities used to have drivers and assistants who would accompany the drivers. The assistant would prepare food and drinks for the driver, and check the car’s oil, coolant and tires. He would also take care of passengers’ baggage which he would load on and off and secure using rope. His job was difficult and required a lot of stamina and patience. The pay was, however, pretty good.

In the old days, a trip from Riyadh to Makkah in a pickup could cost between SR4 and SR10 depending on where the passenger was seated. If seated inside the vehicle, then the fee was SR10 and if sat in the back then it would be SR4. This was huge money 50 years ago.

Shortly after, huge buses locally known as lorries were introduced for long trips, especially for pilgrims wishing to travel to Makkah or Madinah and also during the Hajj. These buses could accommodate over 20 passengers inside and another 10 to 15 on the roof. These buses were considered very comfortable for long trips.

When an old man today hears the word “taxi” the first thing that comes to mind is an old yellow American Chevrolet Caprice. These cars were common over 50 years ago and were used to travel within cities and towns and also on highways. Most of them were American-made and were solidly built and spacious. They were fast and safe. The drivers were elderly who drove both carefully and responsibly.

Nowadays, the word limousine is used for taxis and there is a reason behind this. Limousine is an English word used to refer to a fancy large car driven by a private driver. In the early 1980s, the Ministry of Transport decided to use limousines at three major international airports instead of the large yellow taxis. The ministry was worried that yellow taxis portrayed the Kingdom negatively, especially for visitors from abroad. It was because of this that better cars referred to as limousines were introduced. 14 years later, the word taxi disappeared from the local vernacular with the word limousine used in its stead.

Slowly and gradually, the Ministry of Transport introduced changes into the sector and unified the color of all limousines. Limousine companies were later set up and required by the ministry to have new and more comfortable vehicles. Drivers were also required to have special licenses.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150515243832

Hajjis Bus - Hajj 1953

Holy Mosque expansion updates

4 May 2015 - by Orhan Durgut


 

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King Abdullah's terrace

during 1941 floods dies


Sheikh Al-Awadi (at the bottom) wades through water to perform circumambulation
of the Holy Kaaba in this picture taken in 1941.

Sunday, 17 May 2015 - 28 Rajab 1436 H

JEDDAH — A Bahraini man famous for being captured by camera performing circumambulation around a flooded Holy Kaaba (tawaf) as a boy has died, aged 86.

News of the death of Sheikh Al-Awadi, who performed tawaf during the flooding of Makkah in 1941, went viral on social media.

The photo of a 12-year-old Al-Awadi almost submerged in water is one of the rare pictures of the flooding that struck the Grand Mosque and the holy city 74 years ago.

Al-Awadi died in Bahrain on Wednesday, according to the Bahrain News Agency. It was for the first time in the history of Islam’s holiest shrine that floodwater engulfed the Grand Mosque, rising to a height of six feet.

The water left behind a thick layer of mud on the flooring of the courtyards and chambers of the Grand Mosque. Earlier in 2013, taking part in a program aired by Kuwait’s Al-Rai television, Al-Awadi recalled the sweet memories of his tawaf during the flooding.

He said: “I was a student in Makkah at the time when the holy city witnessed torrential rain for nearly one week incessantly throughout day and night, resulting in flashfloods inundating all parts of the holy city.

“I saw several people, vehicles and animals washed away by flashfloods and several houses and shops inundated.” On the last day of the rain, he decided to go to the mosque along with brother Haneef and two friends, Muhammad Al-Tayyib from the Malian city of Timbuktu and Hashim Al-Bar from Aden, Yemen, to see what was going on.

“Our teacher Abdul Rauf from Tunis also accompanied us. “As children, we were delighted to see the flooded mataf. “Being a good swimmer, I was struck by the idea of performing tawaf and my brother and friends also joined me.”

When they started swimming, policemen tried to stop them in case they tried to steal the Black Stone on one of the corners of the Holy Kaaba or because they might be harmed.

"I tried to convince the police to allow me to complete tawaf while my friend Muhammad Al-Tayyib and another boy called Ali Thabit could not continue tawaf and they took shelter by climbing on the doorstep of the Holy Kaaba, waiting to be rescued.

“I had a mixed feeling of joy and fear while circumambulating the Holy Kaaba. “I experienced the joy of having the great opportunity to perform the ritual in a unique way and the fear that the policeman may shoot at me from his rifle for disobeying him, but later I found out that there were no bullets in his gun.”

Al-Awadi said when he asked the elderly people of Makkah at that time about the flooding, they said that they had never witnessed anything like that.

“Twenty years ago, when my son Abdul Majeed and his wife went to Makkah to perform Haj, he saw souvenirs with pictures of me doing tawaf that day.

“He also brought a book about Makkah and that also carried a photo of me performing tawaf.”

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150517244020

Makkah flood 1941