Makkah News and Updates

26 October 2013

كشفت مصادر «عكاظ» أنه سيتم هدم جسر الملك عبدالله على طريق الحرمين، ضمن مشروع قطار الحرمين، في غضون 60 يوما، ليتم تشييده مجددا بما يتوافق والارتفاع المطلوب لمرور القطار، حيث سيصل إلى 7.5 متر، وستكون مساحة الطريق من علو الجسر 240 مترا، مؤكدة تنفيذ 50 % من مشروع القطار بالانتهاء من إنشاء ثلاثة جسور شملت الحجاج والقاعدة الجوية وبريمان وبعد ستة أشهر الانتهاء من جسر التحلية.

وفيما يتم حاليا وضع اللمسات النهائية للمسارات البديلة لحركة السيارات تمهيدا لهدم الجسر، أكدت المصادر أنه سيتم هدم جسر النزهة المؤدي للمطار لإعادة بنائه، مشيرة إلى أنه يتم في مكة المكرمة إنشاء جسر بطول 1500 متر يمر من علو منطقة الإسكان بأم القرى، ليكون ممرا للقطار القادم من جدة إلى المحطة والعكس.

يذكر أن طريق الحرمين من شمال الطريق وحتى جسر الملك عبدالله يشهد ورشة عمل لتنفيذ مشروع القطار.

http://www.okaz.com.sa/new/Issues/20...1026649655.htm

Google translation: Sources « Okaz » that will be demolished bridge King Abdullah on the road Haramain, within the train project Haramain, within 60 days , to be built again , consistent with the desired height for the passage of the train, which will reach 7.5 meters , and will be an area of ​​the road from the height of the bridge 240 meters , confirmed the implementation of the 50% of the completion of the rail project included construction of three bridges pilgrims and the air base , Breman and six months after the completion of the bridge sweetener.

As is currently finalizing the tracks alternative to car traffic in preparation for the demolition of the bridge, sources confirmed that it will be demolished bridge Nozha leading to the airport to rebuild it , noting that it is in Mecca create a bridge length of 1500 meters passes altitude area housing own villages , to be a conduit for the train the next from Jeddah to the station and vice versa.

It is noteworthy that through the Holy of North Road and to King Abdullah Bridge witnessing a workshop for the implementation of the rail project . 27 October 2013

Informed sources said Saturday that King Abdullah Bridge on the Haramain road will be demolished within 60 days to make way for the Al-Haramain Railway project.

The bridge will be rebuilt at a new height of 7.5 meters to allow the passage of the train.

The sources said that about 50 percent of the project has already been completed, with the building of three bridges: the Pilgrims’ Bridge, the Airbase Bridge and Briman. The Al-Tahliyah Bridge will be completed in six months.
Traffic detours are currently being finalized.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/468961

27 October 2013

Experts have called on the government to protect various ancient sites and mosques in Makkah because of their religious and historical importance.

Talal Al-Sharif, an Islamic antiquities expert, said the buildings include mosques built during the Ummayyad period and the house of Khadeeja, the first wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

This site is thought to be on the square close to the Marwa hillock.

He said the area where the house stood should be protected as an archaeological site and not used as a prayer area of the Grand Mosque. He said it was important for it to have an entrance, and identified as the home of the Prophet (pbuh).

Al-Sharif said the protection of these mosques would help preserve the country's Islamic history. He said researchers have identified several sites of major archeological importance in Makkah. He said various agencies have started to preserve these sites, including the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.

He said the Al-Jinn Mosque was modernized under Saudi rule. He said the Al-Baiah Mosque still exists and goes back to the time of Abu Jaafer Al-Mansour, and Abbasid rule. It was modernized with extensions during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods.

Fawaz Al-Dahhas, professor of Arab history, supervisor of museums at Um Al-Qura University, and member of the advisory committee on Islamic historical sites, said Yathrib tribes met the Prophet (pbuh) at the Al-Baiah Mosque when the Quraish opposed him.

He said Islam was launched from Al-Baiah Mosque, which used to be a ravine between the mountains, known as Al-Ansar Ravine.

This was done in the presence of Al-Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle. He said the ravine was kept intact until the beginning of the Abbasid period. Abu Jafar Al-Mansour built the mosque after Al-Abbas took a pledge to revive his grandfather’s memory. Al-Mustansir Billah renovated the mosque in 1232.

He said other sites include the Al-Rayah Mosque, at the Makkah entrance from the Al-Ghazah side, which was given this name because the Prophet (pbuh) stuck his flagpole there. There is also Al-Jinn Mosque next to Al-Muallah, which was given its name because the Prophet (pbuh) reportedly told his companions, when they saw him coming out of the mosque, that he was teaching the jinn about Islam. It is also known as Masjid Al-Haras (Mosque of the Guards) because the old guards of Makkah used to meet there.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/468970

Makkah, Dhu-AlHijjah 22, 1434, Oct 27, 2013, SPA

70 % of the pilgrims of Turkey, Europe and America have left the Kingdom while the rest will leave during the coming period.

This was announced by Vice Chairman of the private foundation for Guides of Pilgrims of Turkey, America, Europe and Australia Osama Zawawi.

Zawawi congratulated the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince and the Second Deputy Premier on the success of this year's Hajj season, stressing that proper planning has contributed to that success.

224,720 pilgrims have so far arrived in Madinah, 90,081 pilgrims left, and 134,627 pilgrims remained in Madinah.

This came in statistics issued by the Secretariat of Hajj Committee in Madinah region yesterday.

http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=1161480
http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=1161481

 

 

Compensation to be paid for acquired properties


All properties and awqaf that don’t meet these criteria will be examined individually by the committee.

28 October 2013

Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman has ordered the constitution of a committee to identify historical sites in the central area next to the Prophet’s Mosque. The committee, to be headed by Madinah's secretary-general, Khalid Abdulqader Taher, will comprise representatives from the province’s governorate, the Madinah Monawarah Development Authority (MMDA), the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), and the Ministries of Islamic Affairs, Education and Finance.

The committee, which is expected to submit its report in a month, will come up with recommendations to preserve these sites during the process of renovation and expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque with the aim of retaining the identity of Madinah.

According to reports in the local media, the directions came following a letter written by the Education Directorate in Madinah to Prince Faisal, clarifying the importance of preserving historical landmarks in the central area, including Teibah Secondary School, Dar Al-Qalam and two archaeological buildings constructed in 2011.

The Madinah Educational Directorate is entrusted with the task of preserving the identity of these buildings. They called on the Ministry of Finance to exempt these sites from expropriation because they are archaeological sites.

The contention is that the expansion program affects archaeological sites like mosques, buildings, mountains, valleys and wells and that these should be out of the purview since they are Islamic, historical archaeological sites that carry the identity of Madinah.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/469070

 

Plan for cleaning holy sites after Hajj

خطه لرفع مستوى الإصحاح البيئي بالمشاعر المقدسه بعد الحج

Jeddah, Dhu-AlHijjah 23, 1434, Oct 28, 2013, SPA

582,424 pilgrims have so far left the Kingdom for their countries after performing Hajj rituals.

The Director General of Passports Lieutenant General Salem bin Mohammed Al-Belaihed pointed out in a press statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that 503,766 pilgrims have left by air, 68,680 pilgrims by land and 9,978 pilgrims by sea.

251,763 pilgrims have so far arrived in Madinah, 107,668 pilgrims left, and 44,080 pilgrims remained in Madinah.

This came in statistics issued by the Secretariat of Hajj Committee in Madinah region yesterday.

http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=1161767
http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=1161766

Mockup ... In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup is a prototype if it provides at least part of the functionality of a system and enables testing of a design.[1] Mock-ups are used by designers mainly to acquire feedback from users.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mockup

Riyadh, Dhu-AlHijjah 24, 1434, Oct 29, 2013, SPA

King Fahd Complex for Printing the Holy Quran in Madinah distributed during the last month of Dhu Al-Qa'dah 2,033,751 copies of the Holy Quran, translations of its meanings, and religious books.

In its report, the Complex said that it has distributed 266,771,440 copies of the Holy Quran, translations of its meanings, and religious books since its inception in 1405AH at home and abroad.

http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=1162186

In May 2004, in a move to counter false accusations against Islam and to educate people about what is in the Qur’an, the Madinah-based King Fahd Qur’an Printing Complex launched a multilingual website on the Internet.

The site, www.qurancomplex.org, is in English, French, Spanish, Urdu, Hausa and Arabic, said Dr. Muhammed Salem ibn Shudaid Al-Aufi, secretary-general of the complex.

Update: only in Arabic and English

“The site is designed to provide detailed information about the Holy Qur’an,” said Dr. Al-Aufi, adding: “The site contains an electronic copy of the Holy Qur’an with topic search options and the morphology of the words and meanings besides the complete index of the subjects mentioned.”

The site also provides complete translations and interpretations of the Qur’an in the languages with relevant search options.

There are Qur’anic interpretations prepared by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Katheer, Al-Saadi and Al-Baghwai online in addition to a database about major interpretations and books written about the Qur’an plus a database of answers to frequently asked questions. The site contains recordings of the Qur’an by four famous readers.

The complex follows strict quality control in printing the Holy Book.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs also ensures that the text is verified by a panel of scholars specializing in various fields of study.

The committee is also entrusted with the task of checking mistakes during the various stages of production including printing, assembling and binding.

The complex covers an area of some 250,000 square meters in Madinah and is an integrated facility with a mosque, administration buildings, maintenance facility, printing press, warehouses, transport section, marketing department, lodging facility, dispensary, library and restaurants.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/249610

29 October 2013

Makkah Hilton & Towers, located in the Holy city, reported strong occupancy during the Hajj period, welcoming thousands of pilgrims at the property.

To accommodate the vast influx of guests during the busy period, the hotel introduced a series of key working changes across the hotel.

The entire team, including back of house departments, were briefed and trained on the comprehensive and vital operational procedures and etiquette, while the hotel also liaised with tour operators and local authorities to ensure it could offer guests the most up to date advice on bus schedules and travel routes.

Makkah Hilton & Towers general manager Shuja Zaidi said: “Hajj is by far our busiest time of the year and a key season for the travel and tourism industry in Makkah and Saudi Arabia. With Hajj being such a significant period for us, preparations began immediately following Ramadan.”

During the busy Hajj period, Makkah Hilton & Towers contracted a further 50 employees to support the increased occupancy and the thousands of guests per day, while the team served more than 4000 breakfasts daily.

“Providing expert hospitality and service in addition to guidance and advice, is our primary commitment, and by doing this we allow our guests to relax and enjoy the spirit of the pilgrimage,” added Zaidi.

Guests had the option to pray with views over the Holy Haram in two air-conditioned and carpeted 20,000 seat prayer halls as well as well as dine at a number of international restaurants at the luxury hotel.

http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/18.../#.UnG3rVN_hRQ

26 October 2013

JEDDAH — Two young Saudis have launched a project to document Makkah’s history using modern technology compatible with smart phones, Al-Madinah newspaper reported. http://www.al-madina.com/node/486531

Executive Manager of Makkah Window company Abdulwahid Al-Zaydi is making the app that will provide historical information about Makkah and guide visitors.

“Current applications on Makkah that are available for smart phones merely offer information about Haj and Umrah. Pilgrims need other services while in Makkah, such as the locations of service centers and historical sites,” he said.

Al-Zaydi said he presented the idea to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, which accepted the proposal and is providing the necessary environment for its development.

Peter Rawtek, a partner in the company and the technical manager, said they have programmed the digital content available to them about Makkah using the Android operating system, which is compatible with most smart phones.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20131026184709

Makkah Window, a company incubated at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, intends to release the first mobile application to provide interactive media and information on the history of the Holy city of Makkah.
Makkah Window announced this project during Izdihar Conference of small and medium Companies currently convened at the Hilton Hotel in Jeddah.

The founder and CEO of the Makkah Window, Engr. Abdul-Wahid Al-Zaydi, has said that the Makkah Window will provide a lot of unique features to users, including an introduction to historic sites through the use of interactive maps as well as the possibility of controlling the presentation of information on these sites through panoramic pictures, or listening to an audio recording on the story of the historic site.

The application will be provided in five different languages to ensure that the application spreads widely, and that cultural differences among the target audience, namely Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, are taken into account. It will also consider times and places frequented by Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.

Co-founder and CTO in Makkah Window Dr. Peter Rautek, also indicated that a number of advanced smart phone technologies will be included in the Makkah Window application, such as Augmented Reality which allows the user to view 3D models of the actual ancient sites in the Holy city of Makkah. This is done in collaboration with Computing and Modeling Center at the university, in order to impart to users a feeling as if they are actually at the site.

Co-founder and Operations Director Engr. Mohammed Al-Zaydi has stated that the Makkah Window application aims to be a true application for the history and civilization of the ancient as well as modern Holy city of Makkah, and that there is a vision to develop the Makkah Window into a historic interactive media and information platform from which visitors to this holy city, as well as everyone interested in Islamic history, will benefit. He added that every year more than 12 million Hajj and Umrah pilgrims arrive at Makkah and that they preoccupy themselves greatly with getting acquainted with the historic and cultural aspects of the Holy City of Makkah, and that it is our duty as young people from the Holy City of Makkah to introduce this honorable history using modern and contemporary means in step with the developments of modern life, and with the changes modern technology has brought to modern life and communications.

He pointed out the constructive collaboration going on with the young people of Makkah, especially so the Youth Business Commission in the Holy City of Makkah with the project, and his royal highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, the Emir of the Holy City of Makkah, in making use of modern technology to provide advanced services to Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, and to turn the Holy City of Makkah into a smart city.

Makkah Window is one of the entrepreneur startups that won startups competition at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center. Most recently it won a university grant to convert the idea behind the project into a technological company that provides services and information about the historical and cultural aspects of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia by using the most modern technology.

http://www.izdeharsme.com/en/MediaZone/News/News000011/

October 29, 2013

Kurmguda , Oct 29: Safa Hair Dressing Saloon at Kurmaguda, Hyderabad in line with the true Islamic tradition, says no to clean shaving for Muslims. Mr. Narsing Rao embraced Islam and become Mohammed Nazeer. Islam changed his life completely and he become a devout Muslim. The impact of his newly discovered religion also affected his profession as a barber. After embracing Islam he declared that he would not shave the beards of Muslims as it is against the teachings of Islam and practice of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He put a banner on his hair cutting salon which reads ‘ INSHA ALLAH CLEAN SHAVE WILL NOT BE DONE’ . After accepting Islam he was not feeling good in shaving the beards of Muslims.

Describing his feelings he says ‘whenever he starts cutting the beards of a Muslim his heart quivers and he feels ashamed doing so’.

Consequent on his change of religion to Islam, his life has completely changed. He started practicing all routines of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).An innocuous notice put up at the saloon, tucked away in a lane at Kurmaguda in Hyderabad has set tongues wagging. Come October 30, and Muslim customers will not be able to avail the clean shave facility here.However , non-Muslims are exempted from this condition, the notice says.

He says that Muslims are not following the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) by shaving their beards.Though he has been running the saloon for the last years it is only now he has decided to stop clean-shaving Muslim men. “I may may lose few customers ,but it doesn’t matter,” he says.

http://muslimmirror.com/eng/the-new-...ds-of-muslims/

2 November 2013

The Ministry of Haj has made it mandatory for Haj service providers to pay SR10 per domestic pilgrim.

It said that Article 6 of the executive list of the Coordinating Council for Domestic Pilgrims includes the allocation of a financial sum in return for services provided by the council.

The General Assembly of the Coordinating Council decided to allocate this amount within the framework of activating the role of the council in a bid to offer services to firms and institutions during the Haj season.

The ministry emphasized the necessity of handing over the money via written checks in favor of the council and to notify the council of payments in writing.

Osama Fulali, head of the Saudi National Committee for Haj and Umrah, said that 37 firms have already paid their dues. He said the council would deny its services to firms that are unwilling to pay.

He added that this sum of money is obligatory in order for Haj service providers and firms to be accredited by the Haj Ministry.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/471211