Makkah News and Updates

Thursday 1 August 2013

The Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has urged the General Syndicate of Cars to force all auto companies under its umbrella to insure their vehicles transporting pilgrims.

The head of the MCCI’s transport committee, Saad Jamil Al-Qurashi, called on the Ministry of Haj to ensure the General Syndicate of Cars makes insurance mandatory for companies transporting pilgrims.

Al-Qurashi said insurance policies protect the rights of all parties and raise awareness of the issue, particularly in the wake of a number of accidents recently where many pilgrims were killed and injured.

“One cannot deny the huge efforts and measures taken by the syndicate to minimize bus accidents, including the process to select drivers, following up on them and making sure they undergo unannounced and regular tests,” he said. Insurance would complement this system, he added.

Lt. Ali Al-Zahrani, spokesman of the Makkah Traffic Department, said insurance would regulate the industry further.

“A driver who is insured will be released immediately, and will be subjected to the terms and conditions of the insurance company in terms of the financial assessment of damages,” Al-Zahrani said.

“If there is no insurance policy, financial fines and criminal penalties will be implemented against the person who caused the accident, and will not be released until a guarantee is submitted.” He advised all drivers and car owners to get insurance to avoid these pitfalls.

Referring to the number of accidents recently, he said: “There were only three accidents recorded at the entrances of Jeddah, Madinah and Taif, but with deaths and injuries.”

An expert in the hospitality sector, Mamdouh Noor, said that many hotels only do business with buses that have insurance policies. This is because of the great probability of accidents taking place, particularly during the busy Haj and Umrah seasons. Experts in the insurance sector estimate the insurance market for pilgrims’ buses in Saudi Arabia to be worth an estimated SR 80 to SR 100 million.

Adnan Khoja, an insurance adviser and former member of the insurance committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Several commuting companies that transport pilgrims in the Kingdom, in particular those that have large fleets of vehicles, take a scientific approach to insuring their buses and guarding the safety of their passengers. I personally supervised several insurance transactions where the value of the insurance policy was calculated by way of installments from the total value of the bus, up to 1.76 percent of the price of the vehicle itself.”

“If there are 20,000 to 30,000 buses, I estimate the market value of the insurance to be between SR 80 and SR 100 million annually.”
He said the majority of these companies have comprehensive insurance coverage, which includes their passengers.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/459844

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Miswak is a twig used for cleaning one’s mouth and teeth. It’s said the practice was used thousands of years ago by ancient empires from the Babylonians, the Greek to the Romans and the Egyptian civilization.

The miswak twig can be extracted from many trees except for those that are poisonous or harmful, such as pomegranate tree and the myrtle tree.

But it’s preferred to get miswak from bitter tree branches as Palm trees, olive trees or the roots and branches of desert trees preferably from Arak trees, Arabic for Salvadora persica.

Dr. Majed Almadani, a dentist, said that Miswak is a perfect natural toothbrush that provides many health and beauty benefits
.
“It contains an extraction like toothpaste, and I recommend one uses it aside of normal toothbrush,” Almadani said. “This extraction has natural anti-bacteria that help prevent tooth decay and gum diseases. Extracting it prevents the gum from bleeding and reduces the treat of Oral Cancer.”

Using miswak has the same effect as using.

“It contains fluoride that is important to the oral health and it contains other ingredients that help protecting the tooth enamel layer, removing/fighting plaque and teeth coloring,” Almadani said. “Miswak contains ‘silica,’ which is an ingredient that helps teeth bleach.”

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended the Arak miswak and he used this kind specifically which made it famous among Muslims.
Arak is an evergreen small tree that has several therapeutic functions and the best way to benefit from it. One should clean the leaves, boil them and use the water when cooled as mouthwash
.
Boiling the Arak roots can help with respiratory and digestive disorders. It’s extraction is used to treat ulcers, but soaking arak twigs in water can help healing uterus cirrhosis, reduce tumors and delay menstrual cycle.

Miswak purifies the mouth, inhibits dry mouth and increases salivation, help healing oral tissue, kills build up bacteria in the mouth and clear the throat aside with protecting teeth from germs and strengthening the gum.
Hussain Abdullah Al-Abdali is a street peddler who can always be found at Al-Nada gold market in Al-Balad in Jeddah. He has been selling miswak for over 40 years.

“I used to work with my father ever since I was four years old, he taught me everything I need to know today about the business of miswak,” Al-Abdali said. “My father used to extract miswak himself from different locations in the Kingdom he also used to clean it, dry it under the sun then cut it. He uses to gather around 3,000 miswak and put it in canvas bags to sell it in Makah in place called Haraj Al-Masaweek.”

Al-Abdali said that miswak coming from sandy soil trees are better that miswaks coming from the valleys.

“Extracting miswak from Arak roots is better than taking it from the branches, green miswak has the least benefits of them all,” he said. “The best miswak is brought from Al-Laith west Saudi Arabia, and especially the spicy kind called Abo-Hanash. But that kind of miswak is decreasing in the market and vendors are bringing less quality miswak from Yemen
And you can store fresh miswak, each two in aluminum foil in the fridge, to preserve its components.”

The miswak seller demands authority to monitor unprofessional miswak sellers who display fake and unreal products.

“This kind of business is fading with time and you cannot see many Saudis practicing it,” Al-Abdali said. “It is sad to see this product being sold by factories and not Saudis who know about it the best,” said Al-Abdali. “I also ask the authorities to give us a better opportunity and support us by shedding the light on this business and market it as a national humble job.”
However, there may be one drawback to using miswak.

Dr. Harb Al-Harfi, allergy, asthma and immunology consultant at King Faisal Specialist Hospital, said he came across his first case of miswak allergy in his clinic.

A 52-year-old man who lived with rhinitis disease for 20 years, and had allergies for three years complained about gums sensitivity and swollen skin in the area where he put his miswak in his upper pocket. After several allergy tests, results confirm a rare case of miswak allergy. The patient’s gums and skin has healed after stopping using miswak. The patient had a reaction from Arak roots but not twigs.

Miswak allergy can be easily detected, within the few minutes of using it. Consult with your doctor if you had itchy gum or throat, nasal allergies and sneezing, redness and rashness (Eczema) when Miswak is rubbed on skin.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/459712

Thursday 1 August 2013

MAKKAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah arrived in Makkah from Jeddah on Wednesday evening to spend the rest of the holy month of Ramadan in the vicinity of the Grand Holy Mosque.

The King was received upon arrival at Al-Safa Palace by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense; Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, governor of Makkah region; Prince Mohammed bin Naif, the minister of interior; Prince Mohammed bin Salman, chief of the Crown Prince’s Court and his special adviser; a number of princes and officials; and a group of citizens.

The King was accompanied by Prince Abdul-Ilah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, second deputy premier, adviser and special envoy of the King; Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, minister of education; Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, minister of national guard; Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, deputy minister of foreign affairs; Prince Mansour bin Nasser, adviser to the King; Prince Dr. Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed, adviser to the King; Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah, governor of Najran region; a number of princes and officials.

The King left Jeddah earlier in the evening on Wednesday. He was seen off by Prince Mishaal bin Majed, governor of Jeddah, and a number of officials.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/459860

Friday 2 August 2013

Elaborate parking arrangements have been made for pilgrims and visitors arriving in Makkah from different parts of the Kingdom and their transportation needs taken care of to reach the Grand Mosque from the outskirts of the holy city.

Vehicles with passengers wearing ihram (the garments pilgrims wear when performing Umrah or Haj) are not allowed to enter the holy city by traffic police stationed at all entry points. Exclusive parking areas have been allocated on various highways on the outskirts of Makkah, which together can accommodate up to 350,000 vehicles.

Pilgrims and visitors are diverted and guided to these parking facilities in order to reduce traffic congestion in the Haram area. Vehicles arriving from Jeddah are diverted to the Haj parking area at Shumaisy on the Jeddah-Makkah Highway, while those coming from Riyadh and Dammam park their cars at Hada and Sharaya. For those coming from south of the Kingdom, parking is along Al-Leeth Road. In addition, there are parking facilities at Kudai, Al-Omraha and Al-Aziziyah.

All of these parking areas have been asphalted and elaborate arrangements made for pilgrims and visitors to commute from these places to the Haram. Four leading private bus transport companies will operate during Haj. They will be in operation aside from SAPTCO, which currently operates 1,100 buses from these parking lots to Haram at a nominal charge of SR5 one way.

All buses drop commuters at Ajayad Street opposite the Haram and pilgrims walk to Gate No. 1 or King Abdulaziz Gate.

On the return journey, buses drop commuters at a junction in Aziziyah area from where they board their buses, which take them to their respective parking areas.

Though the commuting time from the parking areas to the Haram is considerably high for visitors from Jeddah, it is hassle free. Vehicles parked in unauthorized areas or main streets are impounded and kept in different locations in the city.

Police, who also ensure that roads are clear, monitor vehicles entering the parking space.

Authorities expect to transport seven million passengers from the parking areas to the Haram in the last six days of Ramadan.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/459958

Jul 31, 2013

Wijaya Karya (Wika), the Indonesian government controlled construction company, has drawn up plans for a seven-tower hotel complex in Makkah, Saudi Arabia worth an estimated $1.1bn, it has been reported.

The proposed site will reportedly be situated near the city’s Grand Mosque, with each tower costing SR588m ($157m) and accommodating up to 1,000 rooms, according to the Jakarta Globe.

The Indonesian daily quoted Wika corporate secretary Natal Argawan as saying: “We are currently studying the extent of the project in Saudi Arabia and our operational team already visited the proposed construction site.”

Wika operational director Destiawan Soewardjono is also reported to have said that work to find a Saudi partner for the construction of the hotel is already underway, with potential companies set to travel to Indonesia soon to review the local company’s construction methods and standards.

http://www.constructionweekonline.co.../#.UfpzHKz7Cn8

 

Special needs engaged in wandering over the Mataf new bridge
Human crew to push 1200 wheelchairs and 110 electric chairs

ذوو الاحتياجات الخاصة يباشرون الطواف فوق الجسر الجديد
طاقم بشري لدفع 1200 كرسي متحرك بالمجان و110 كراسي كهربائية

 

video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfCCU0G2IAw&feature=player_em...

2 August 2013 - 24 Ramadan 1434 H

JEDDAH — The new highway linking Briman Bridge and Makkah has been opened to road users, announced the Ministry of Transport.

Muhammad Tawfiq, director of transport for Makkah province, said the 28-kilometer-long highway allows those coming from north Jeddah and King Abdulaziz International Airport to use the highway and reduce pressure on the Al-Haramain Road and Makkah-Jeddah Highway.

There are four lanes in each road and an intersection with Al-Hijrah Road that leads to Makkah Highway.

Discussing the new ring road in Jeddah, Madani said it intersects with King Faisal Road (South Corniche) and extends four to six kilometers to the east of Al-Haramain Road. It also extends toward the north up to Dhahban, 50 kilometers north of Jeddah. The ring road is 115 kilometers long.

The project of building an intersection along Madinah Road in north Jeddah has been completed.

Also, intersections at the Jeddah-Jazan Highway; Madinah Road (north); and Al-Hima Road, which leads to King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, are all ready to be used, according to Madani.

He talked about the projects that will be completed in the future, including a Briman intersection with Makkah-Madinah Highway, connecting Al-Khair Bridge with King Faisal Road in Jeddah, building an intersection at the Old Makkah-Jeddah Highway, connecting King Abdullah Sports City with several locations in Jeddah, building a bridge linking Prince Miteb Street with Al-Rawabi neighborhood and the Quwaizah intersection.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130802175624

 

Ministry guidelines to reduce

 

hardship of pilgrimage

Friday 2 August 2013

Religious scholars, through their sermons, have advised Muslims in the Kingdom not to waste food during the holy month of Ramadan, when food is prepared in large quantities and the leftovers go waste.

Abdulrahman Bakri, an Islamic scholar said: “During Ramadan, there is always a major increase in food wastage not only in the Kingdom but also other countries across the Gulf. At iftar parties or banquets during Ramadan, the leftover food usually goes waste and wealthy hosts have no qualms about throwing them away. I myself have seen such things happening and have advised people, using such examples, to raise awareness levels.”

Stating that Muslims are commanded by the Qur’an to be mindful of food and not to let it go waste, Bakri said Muslims should be made aware of the huge amounts of food they waste every day. They should give it away to the poor and needy rather than throwing it away since Ramadan is a time when reward for giving will double, he said.

“Wasting food is a sin and breaches the very concept of Ramadan,” says Mohammed Zaki, another Islamic scholar. “Apart from the many health benefits, fasting educates Muslims to experience and understand hunger, deprivation and grief of the needy.”

Zaki advised Muslims to be more careful in managing food, pointing out that the food one person wastes is another person’s meal. He also asked Muslims to share food rather than enjoy it all by himself.

He said that people cook more and spend more on food during Ramadan and tables are spread from iftar to the end of sahoor. “It is sad to say, but so much food is cooked that a bigger portion of it goes to the trash bins later.”

“Food is seen as a gift from God and thus wasting it is seen as a sign of ungratefulness for this gift,” says Yaser AbuRayan, imam at a mosque in Jeddah. “There is always food that is left after iftar in this mosque. We make sure to call in street cleaners to finish it or give them away to the needy.”

AbuRayan says according to a Hadith, there is blessing in the food we eat but we do not know in which portion of the food it lies. “A verse in the Qur’an says ‘Give to the near of kin his due, and also to the needy and the wayfarers. Do not squander your wealth wastefully; for those who squander wastefully are Satan’s brothers, and Satan is ever ungrateful to his Lord.’ This makes it clear people must eat only as much as they need and they often need much less than they feel,” he said.

In another Hadith, the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said: “The food of one person is sufficient for two, the food of two people suffices for four people and the food of four people suffices for eight.”

The Hadith explains that there is enough food in the world but if the level of greed in people vanishes, the poor and hungry can be fed without any crisis.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/459962

Saturday 3 August 2013

The number of inland pilgrims hailing from different parts of the Kingdom is set to reduced by 50 percent this year to ensure the safety of pilgrims and to allow them to perform the rituals smoothly, an official of the Ministry of Haj told local media.

Ministry Undersecretary for Haj Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Nifaie said the number of haj operator firms allowed to provide services to inland pilgrims stands at 248 firms, catering to 337,500 pilgrims. In contrast, Haj operator firms served some 208,000 pilgrims last year, he highlighted.

Based on the directives of the Minister of Haj, Bandar Hajjar, the ministry has taken a series of regulatory and technical measures to allocate land plots for pilgrims’ camps in Mina and will operate toll-free numbers to allow inland pilgrim to ask questions regarding the haj operator firms before entering into contracts with them.

Earlier, the minister has announced that the number of pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom would be cut by 20 percent due to the expansion works in the holy city.

The ministry has also begun constructing units for female staff in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. The buildings will have two entrances and two exits, adding that the female units will fall under a separate budget category.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/460077

Saturday 3 August 2013

Heavy rains after noon prayer in Makkah were seen as blessings of the holy month’s last Friday.

The downpour came as a welcome relief for hundreds of thousands of worshippers in the Grand Mosque who were facing sizzling temperatures close to 43 degrees Celsius. It began raining at 2:30 p.m. and lasted nearly two hours.

Carpets at the mosque were drenched and the rains left several districts and streets waterlogged. Over 700 laborers were deployed to clean the holy premises with the help of water draining machinery.

Civil Defense texted people to keep off low-lying valleys in Makkah. No injuries were reported.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/460073

Saturday 3 August 2013

More than 1,300 volunteers work daily during the holy month of Ramadan to serve food on a plastic trail extending 4 kilometers along the ground of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

The table is always full of coffee and dates to feed the crowds of pilgrims and visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom.

The administration at the Grand Mosque has also offered around 100,000 kg of de-pulped dates distributed inside 1,922,160 containers, with coffee on the side.

This giant table brings together many thousands of pilgrims from different nationalities, languages, ages and other features within safe and comfortable atmospheres.

Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Musleh, the secretary-general of the Muslim World League for the Scientific Miracles in the Qur’an, said this table represents an honored and proud image of the highest degree of hospitality that prevails every year during the holy month.

Dr. Saleh bin Muhammad Al-Taleb, imam and preacher at the Grand Mosque, said that there are over 1,300,000 meals being distributed to pilgrims during Ramadan, with the total length of the trail extending to 129 kilometers.

Mansour bin Amer, chairman of the Hadiyat Al-Haj wal Mu’tamir Charitable Society, said that his society is the first one of its kind that specializes in serving more than 15 million pilgrims every year.

He stressed the need to consolidate collective work in such a field to revive participation and teamwork within the integrated work of government agencies and charities.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/460081