Makkah News and Updates

19 September 2013

The Ministry of Health has unveiled an integrated health plan for pilgrims coming to Madinah during the current Haj season, a senior official from the ministry announced Wednesday.

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said his ministry has implemented an around-the-clock vigil on the health status of incoming Haj pilgrims across ports of entry into the Kingdom.

The minister pointed out that the health status of pilgrims who have arrived is promising and that there are no signs of epidemic disease among them.
“We are optimistic that the pilgrimage season will be free of epidemics as a result of preventive measures taken by the ministry,” he said. “We have also opened three health monitoring stations at the three entry points to Madinah to ensure that pilgrims entering Madinah are free from epidemic disease.”

He said the ministry has formed field medical teams to deal with emergency situations in areas with a large concentration of pilgrims and allocated SR10 million to upgrade the clinics with new equipment.

He said adequate preventive measures have been taken to vaccinate health officials against meningitis, yellow fever, cholera, swine flu and influenza, since they move in close proximity to pilgrims who come to Madinah.

Blood banks are fully equipped with units of blood. These are electronically linked with the Central Blood Bank for liaison at times of emergency, the official said.

The ministry has deployed several ambulances in strategic areas to ferry patients to the nearest health facilities in case of emergency in coordination with the Saudi Red Crescent Authority.

The Health Education Department at the Ministry has put up billboards and eye-catching posters and has produced pamphlets with the health messages and warnings for pilgrims.

He stressed that MERS coronavirus is under control and that the ministry will not place restrictions on pilgrims on account of the virus.
However, he added that elderly people with chronic diseases are advised to postpone their pilgrimage in line with preventive measures taken by the government.

He said the Second World Congress on Mass Gathering Medicine will be held Saturday. Delegates will focus on coronavirus cases to ascertain the virus’s current prevalence. So far, 104 cases of coronavirus have been reported, with 47 fatalities.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/465147

September 17, 2013

DUBAI // Millions of pilgrims can now access an interactive step-by-step guide to performing Umrah.

Launched by Hajjnet, a Dubai-based start-up, UmrahSalam walks users through the process to ensure a safer and easier pilgrimage.

“We wanted to address Haj and Umrah with technology,” said Ali Dabaja, the app’s founder.

“We did not start out thinking about an app but the further down the road we got, the more we started to refine the concept of what we were doing.

“It became obvious that the biggest need and confusion was that of someone who was actually doing it. It is a specific process.”

The team of five started by illustrating the process of Umrah and Haj, from the pilgrim’s rituals to his activities, such as searching for information online and getting in touch with tour operators.

“From beginning to end, it is really something that has not changed,” Mr Dabaja said. “So we wanted to use technology to make it more informed, clear and safer for pilgrims.”

Last year, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) estimated that 16 million travellers would perform Umrah by next year.

The app provides information to pilgrims, starting with the preparation for the trip.

“It tells you what you need to pack, for instance, your Ihram towels, sandals, sports drinks, energy bars, over-the-counter medication,” Mr Dabaja said. “For Haj it would be sunglasses, sun umbrellas, earplugs, phone adapters, chargers and Vaseline to put on your thighs for friction rash – things that are specific to this journey and that people tend to forget.”

The information is sourced from personal experiences. A team member who was sent to Mecca with a list of 300 educational shots came back with 1,500 pictures for the app’s library.

For Umrah, the app offers a feature for duas (prayers) and Tawaf, the circling of the Kaaba.

“It allows you to input all of your personal prayers that you want to make, maybe for your family or for yourself, and things that you want to pray for,” Mr Dabaja said. “Today, people usually write it on a piece of paper so we put it right in the toolbar.”

Key duas can be read in Arabic or using an English transliteration. Personal duas can be composed.

The team has tailored the app to ensure users focus on the pilgrimage more than the phone itself.

“Having a phone in a holy place is going to be a growing concern in the future,” said Mohammad Alshaseet, who worked on the app.

“Our app doesn’t really enter in that area because it assists the person rather than distracts them.

“Our Tawaf counter takes their mind off of how many times they went around the Kaaba because the phone takes care of it and they just focus on praying, knowing that the phone is taking care of it.”

Some Muslims agree that the app could be useful for first-timers, especially if implemented in different languages to represent major ethnic groups of pilgrims.

“Once you know what you’re doing, it’s quite simple in terms of where to go and how to do it,” said Abdulaziz Al Abdullah, a Saudi resident of Dubai who has performed Umrah between 50 and 100 times.

“So you won’t need an app in that case to guide you but rather help you recite because, otherwise, you would have to use small booklets that one usually buys on the way in to Mecca. Technology should assist but not guide as it would take away from the spiritual essence of the experience.”

The app is available for the iPhone in English, and in Arabic before the end of next month.

It is free for a limited period and there are plans to introduce Turkish, Indonesian and Malaysian-language versions.

Users can also share their pictures on Twitter and Facebook.

“Once we have a good working prototype, we will proliferate on to Android,” Mr Dabaja said. “We want to allow users to focus on their spirituality so we provide them functionalities that do that.”

The app can be found at www.hajjnet.com

http://muslimvillage.com/2013/09/17/...rah-in-an-app/

20 September 2013

MAKKAH – The United Zamzam Office plans to supply 34 million liters of Zamzam water to pilgrims during the current Haj season.

Suleiman Abu Ghelya, the office’s chairman, said: “More than 1,100 staffers, including some temporary workers, will distribute Zamzam water to pilgrims residing in various districts of Makkah.

“There are 10 field groups who will make available the holy water to pilgrims at their residences.”

Abu Ghelya said these groups started on Sept. 7 their initial work of carrying out comprehensive field surveys to identify pilgrims’ residences. They will place stickers with serial numbers written in seven languages to ensure no building is left out.

He said: “This helps pilgrims to find out the quantity of Zamzam that the office will distribute to them and other details.”

He said Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar has approved the office’s operation plan for the distribution of Zamzam water.

According to the plan, the holy water will be distributed among pilgrims in phases.

The first phase of distribution started on Sept. 7 with plastic bottles, each containing 330 ml of cooled Zamzam water, being distributed to pilgrims on their arrival in Jeddah and Madinah.

In the second phase, 20-liter thermos bottles were being delivered to the residences of pilgrims.

In the third phase, each pilgrim will be supplied with another 330 ml bottle at their residences immediately after their arrival from Mina after they complete their Haj rituals.

The Zamzam water bottles are being prepared at the office’s automated bottling center in Rusaifa.

Commending the services provided by women staffers at the office, Abu Ghelya said the women’s committee members are visiting hospitalized pilgrims and supplying them with bottles of the holy water.

They will also receive women pilgrims who come to visit the office’s museum and discuss the profession of Haj guides (mutawwifs) past and present.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130920180990

20 September 2013

Twelve pilgrims from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have died due to natural causes, according to officials. Malik Mohammed Riaz from Islamabad fell ill immediately on landing at the Haj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and was pronounced dead on the scene, Syed Abu Ahmed Akif, Pakistan’s director-general for Haj Affairs, told Arab News.

Another Pakistani pilgrim died in Makkah and was buried in the Kingdom, he said. Seven Indian pilgrims died in Madinah, some after suffering a heart attack, according to Indian Haj Consul Noor Rahman Shaikh. Two Bangladesh pilgrims died in Makkah and one died in Madinah, according to Asad uz Zaman, Haj consul of Bangladesh.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/465208

Madinah, Dhu-AlQa'dah 13, 1434, Sep 19, 2013, SPA

As many as 167,617 pilgrims from more than 150 nationalities have arrived in Madinah since the beginning of Hajj season for the year 1434AH until last Tuesday.

In terms of the number of pilgrims arriving in Madinah, Indonesia ranked the first by 38,087 pilgrims, India, the second by 37,816 pilgrims, Turkey, the third by 25,510 pilgrims, and Pakistan, the fourth by 10,436 pilgrims.

http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=1147912 20 September 2013

The Madinah Traffic Department has deployed 900 officers, 225 vehicles and 500 motorbikes for the Haj season that ends on Oct. 29 this year.

Col. Omar Al-Nazawi, press spokesman and head of the city’s traffic safety department, said officers have been deployed on a number of main roads, including King Faisal, King Abdulaziz and King Fahad roads.

There will also be visible policing at intersections, pedestrian bridges, squares and all areas close to the city’s central area.

Special detours have been set up at main entrances including Al-Hijrah Road, Tabuk Road, Al-Qasim Highway, Al-Qasim Old Road, and Yanbu Road to redirect pilgrims’ buses.

Al-Nazawi urged citizens and expatriate motorists to stay away from main roads carrying pilgrim buses and other Haj vehicles, specifically Al-Salam and King Faisal roads.

He called on everyone to cooperate with traffic officers and take alternative routes to give priority to Haj pilgrims.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/465239

20 September 2013

The amnesty period ending on Nov. 3 will reduce the number of illegal pilgrims in the country by 50 percent this year, a Haj and Umrah official said here recently.

Saad Al-Quraishi, chairman of the National Committee for Haj and Umrah at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the number of illegal pilgrims will be reduced by 50 percent because many illegal expats have left the Kingdom under the amnesty period.

A total of 222,299 expats who had overstayed their visit visas and other non-work visas have already left the Kingdom since the beginning of the amnesty period, according to the Passport Department.

Al-Quraishi said strict controls introduced by the Haj authorities would also help reduce the number of illegal pilgrims.

“These procedures will have a positive impact on Haj service establishments that already face a reduced quota of pilgrims this year. Illegal pilgrims do not deal with these establishments. They pretend they have no money to use Haj services. These illegal pilgrims sit and sleep on the roads causing congestion during Haj every year,” he told Arab News.

Ali Saleh Al-Roumi, who works for a Haj establishment, said the amnesty would reduce the number of illegal pilgrims. “Many Umrah visitors stay after their Umrah to work and earn money. They wait for the Haj season to enter the holy city without permits. However, the situation is different this year. A lot of illegal expats have left the Kingdom under the amnesty period.”

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has warned that expatriates violating Haj rules would be deported immediately and banned for 10 years. The governor also warned Saudi drivers carrying illegal pilgrims they would face punishment. Fake Haj service operators will be arrested and face punitive action.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/465245

20 September 2013

MAKKAH — The head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques said his organization’s operational plan for this year’s Haj season will come into force on Saturday.

Sheikh Abdurahman Al-Sudais said: “The presidency has made elaborate preparations and arrangements aimed at enabling worshipers to perform their rituals easily and comfortably in a tranquil atmosphere inside the two holy mosques and their courtyards.

“More than 6,000 staffers, including women and seasonal workers, will be engaged in implementing the plan.”

Al-Sudais said the Grand Mosque in Makkah could accommodate more than 400,000 additional worshipers at the expanded annex building and courtyards during the Haj season.

A total of 8,050 new lamps have been installed in the building in addition to thermos containers for Zamzam water and 2,350 toilets in the building and the new courtyards.

There are also new escalators from the ground floor to the first floor and first mezzanine floor of the annex building as well as to reach the toilet area in the basement.

The ground floor of the new building is also air-conditioned.

The presidency chief said the Haj pilgrims can take advantage of the first phase of the mataf (circumambulation area around the Holy Ka’aba) expansion and that included the basement, ground and first floors in the eastern side as well as the terrace.

About 1,700 pilgrims who need wheelchairs can benefit from the temporary mataf area erected for pilgrims with special needs.

This mataf was built in the form of a circular ring adjacent to the partially demolished old porch and overlooking the Ka'aba with a width of 12 meters and a height of 34 meters.

This raised platform aims to facilitate tawaf (circumambulation) for disabled and elderly pilgrims until the completion of the mataf expansion. A large part of the basement level of the old mosque area has been air-conditioned with the installation of 60 air-conditioning units.

Al-Sudais said the presidency has introduced several services and programs for pilgrims.

These include programs for enlightening pilgrims on the rituals of Haj and Umrah.

Religious lectures are being delivered to pilgrims while prominent scholars will give religious edicts (fatwas) on various issues at the two holy mosques. Translations of the Holy Qur’an, religious books and booklets have also been made available.

There are six fatwa kiosks in the courtyards of the Grand Mosque, apart from five huge television screens to enlighten pilgrims in different languages.

Arrangements are being made for the pilgrims to see rare manuscript copies and exhibits at the Grand Mosque Library, an exhibition center on the two holy mosques, the Grand Mosque Museum, the kiswa factory in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque Library.

Al-Sudais said more Zamzam thermos containers have been made available inside the Grand Mosque and its courtyards.

Steps have also been taken to prevent food being brought inside the mosque. Al-Sudais said that the presidency’s Agency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque is supervising arrangements and services being provided to pilgrims and visitors to the mosque.

“More than 300 tons of Zamzam water is being transported to Madinah on a daily basis and there are 13,000 containers that have been set up at the mosque and its courtyards,” he said. He said 10,000 prayer rugs have been spread out at the mosque.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130920180989

21 September 2013

MAKKAH — Walkalators will be used to transport pilgrims in tunnels linking Al-Muaisim area to the third floor of the Jamarat Bridge, according to a sernior official.

Habeeb Zainulabideen, deputy minister of municipal and rural affairs and the general supervisor of the Mashaer projects, said walkalators will be used in two new underground corridors, which are 1 km long. He said expansion work is in progress at the Mashaer Train Station 1 in Muzdalifah.

He said the tunnels linking Azizyah neighborhood with the Jamarat Bridge have been completed.
Two 16-meter-wide, 300-meter--long tunnels linking the Azizyah neighborhood with the second floor of Jamarat Bridge will allow pilgrims to reach the Jamarat without the need to pass through Mina.

Zainulabideen also said 252 toilets have been constructed in Mashaer and Minister of Municipalities Prince Mansour Bin Miteb will inspect the projects.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Haj has set new conditions for foreign buses entering the country, Al-Hayat newspaper reported.

The ministry has notified pilgrims service companies that rented foreign buses should meet a number of conditions to ensure the safety of pilgrims during their trips to Makkah and the holy places.

The buses should not be more than 10 years old and should have at least 45 seats. The buses should also have permits to enter the country and they should enter from the entry point designated in the permits.

They should also have visible stickers naming the rented company, and drivers and their assistants must possess the proper visas that carry the license plate number. The buses are also required to carry an inspection certificate from an authorized body in the country of registration.

The ministry has also stressed that rented buses should have luggage areas, emergency exits, bathrooms and be air conditioned.

It said the rented buses must meet certain safety requirements. They should have an air pressure gauge, fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, tire changing tools, emergency tools and at least one spare tire.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130921181118

21 September 2013

Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif, chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, has approved the general plan of Civil Defense to counter emergency situations during the upcoming Haj.

“The Civil Defense plan this year aims at taking all appropriate measures to protect pilgrims and other people, public and private properties in Makkah, Madinah and holy sites from any kind of calamity including accidents. The plan also will ensure the collaboration of other related government departments,” said Lt. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijeri, director general of Civil Defense on Friday.

He said 13 virtual situations were simulated in order to be fully ready to counter all likely emergency situations. The equipment for rescue in situations of fire, flood, drowning, leakage of hazardous substances and collapse of buildings are also ready for use.

The plan also call for reinforced awareness campaigns among the pilgrims on safe behavior at occasions when calamities befall in addition to the precautions the pilgrims should take to avoid dangerous situations. The campaigns will be launched in collaboration with the tawafa organizations and Haj missions. The campaign will also focus on persuading pilgrims follow all safety instructions at their housing and other places they go. They should also be enlightened on the need to leave any road free for Civil Defense workers to move about freely. The campaign will also appear on various forms of media, publications and new media and phones.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/465359