Makkah News and Updates

Tuesday 29 April 2014

Haj Minister Dr. Bandar Al-Hajjar received Indian Haj delegation headed by E. Ahamed, the Indian junior minister of foreign affairs, on Sunday at his office in Jeddah.

The Indian minister discussed a wide range of topics related with this year’s Haj operation, Haj Ministry sources told Arab News.

The ministers also discussed the flow of Umrah pilgrims and services offered, sources said.

Ahamed lauded Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s efforts to facilitate the smooth performance of the Haj rituals, the Haj minister’s office said.

He drew the Haj minister’s attention to the difficulties of recruiting temporary local staff known as “Khadimul Hujjaj” to assist pilgrims, particularly in the wake of the new labor laws which prohibit working for anyone other than the sponsor, according to sources.

The Indian Haj mission in Jeddah recruits hundreds of seasonal workers during Haj to assist pilgrims from their arrival in the Kingdom to Arafat but the enforcement of the new labor regulations could seriously hamper these efforts, Indian official sources said.

Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao and Acting Consul General Mohammed Noor Rahman Shaikh also joined the minister at the meeting.

This year, 136,000 Indian pilgrims are expected to perform Haj, forming one of the largest blocs of pilgrims in the world. Ahamed is visiting Madinah on Monday.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/562921

PARIS, April 28 — Once pilgrims came on camels or on foot in their thousands, now millions of Muslims make the journey to the Mecca each year, travelling by boat, coach and budget airline, and their number is constantly rising.

n the past century new modes of transport and technological advances have transformed the hajj.

In 2012, there were over three million pilgrims, 1.6 million of whom came by air, while the call to prayer is signalled five times daily by the illumination of 21,000 green and white lights.

The meaning of the hajj, however, remains unchanged and is explored in a major new exhibition that has just opened in Paris through works of art and photography, rare manuscripts, objets d’art and textiles.

Everyday items stress the human aspect with identity cards, water bottles, guide books and souvenirs.

“We go from the very contemporary to pieces that go back 1,500 years; the emotions are the same,” curator Omar Saghi, told AFP, adding that the Hajj was “present in the heart of all Muslims”.

The Prophet Mohammed received the first revelations in the early seventh century in Mecca and since then the Saudi city has taken on the role of spiritual centre and the heart of Islam.

The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam; The Quran lays down that it is a sacred duty for all Muslims to go on pilgrimage to Mecca, if they are able, at least once in their life.

Centuries-old miniatures and sections of elaborate pilgrimage certificates included in the exhibition illustrate how the hajj has always been a source of inspiration for artists.

More recent works include “Pilgrims Going to Mecca” by nineteenth century French artist Leon Belly, depicting a column of people on camel and foot, as well as contemporary art installations.

An eighteenth-century pen and ink “map” of the Ottoman empire with Mecca at its centre shows a sparsely populated city surrounding the Masjid al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque) that illustrates the changes in scale that have taken place.

Today, the mosque is the biggest in the world covering an area of 350,000 square metres (88 acres).

A large-scale photographic work by Ahmed Mater, a Saudi artist, shows the mosque as it is today with the foreground filled with cranes bowed over unfinished buildings.

In the background, the Abraj al-Bait Towers complex can be seen with the outline of the mountains in the distance.

The largest of its towers, known as the Makkah Royal Clock Tower, is at 601 metres (1,970 feet) six times as high as London’s Big Ben.

With its 21,000 green and white lights, it can be seen from up to 30 kilometres (18 miles) away at night, 12 kilometres during daylight hours.

And while the modern world may have encroached, the exhibition also shows how the rituals undertaken by pilgrims have remained essentially unchanged.

“Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam”, at Paris’s Arab World Institute, in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh, runs until August 10.

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/tr...flock-to-mecca

Wednesday 30 April 2014

The Haj Ministry has warned that it would take strict action against Haj companies who are found raising hotel prices for domestic pilgrims during this year’s Haj pilgrimage.

The ministry has begun early allocation of Haj accommodation in order to maintain price stability and has warned facilities to keep prices affordable.

“This decision came into effect last year and will continue into the current year,” ministry sources said.

“The Haj Ministry examined and verified unjustified price hikes made by Haj companies last year and took punitive action against them,” Adel Balkhair, secretary for Haj affairs at the ministry, said in a statement Monday.

Balkhair did not elaborate on type of penalties erring facilities will incur.

Balkhair said that the ministry had formed a committee to monitor Haj prices in a bid to curb unjustified price increases.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/563381

Tuesday 29 April 2014

Health authorities announced Tuesday three new deaths from the MERS coronavirus, as a group of experts met to discuss means of preventing the spread of the disease. Three men — aged 56, 61, and 79 — died of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Riyadh, bringing to 105 the total deaths, the Health Ministry said.

At the same time, the ministry said six new infections have raised the total number of cases diagnosed to 345, representing the bulk of infections registered globally.

Meanwhile, acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih said a group of Western experts and representatives of the WHO have met for two days in Riyadh to discuss “a series of preventive measures... to contain the spread” of MERS. “These measures will be announced in the coming days,” Fakieh told reporters.

There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments for MERS. But in studies published in two leading scientific journals on Monday, scientists from the US, China and Hong Kong said they had found several so-called neutralizing antibodies that were able to prevent a key part of the virus from attaching to receptors that allow it to infect human cells.

Fakeih did not rule out the possibility that camels could be passing on the coronavirus to people as various studies have shown.

He advised people to take precautionary measures including wearing masks, avoiding close contact with camels, cooking their meat well, and boiling their milk. Fakeih admitted that MERS was a major challenge for the Kingdom.

Fakeih said the press conference was being held as part of the ministry’s openness about MERS. He outlined measures taken by the ministry to handle MERS including setting up a medical consultative council to provide advice on treatment and assess the current situation.

He said several medical centers have been set up in the Kingdom to handle MERS cases. He said the Health Ministry has advised the Foreign Ministry to tell countries around the world not to send their elderly and people with chronic illnesses on Haj and Umrah.

Fakeih emphasized the importance of prevention and said the ministry has launched several awareness campaigns to keep the public informed about MERS. He said people should not heed the advice posted on social networking sites.

Antibodies are proteins made by the immune system that recognize foreign viruses and bacteria. A neutralizing antibody is one that not only recognizes a specific virus but also prevents it from infecting host cells, eventually meaning the infection is cleared from the person or animal.

In one study in the Science Translational Medicine journal, a Chinese-led team found that two antibodies, called MERS-4 and MERS-27, were able to block cells in a lab dish from becoming infected with the MERS virus.

“While early, the results hint that these antibodies, especially ... used in combination, could be promising candidates for interventions against MERS,” the scientists wrote.

In a second study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal, a team from the United States said their discovery of a panel of seven neutralizing antibodies offered the long-term possibility that either a vaccine or treatments could be developed to fight MERS.

Although the disease has not yet been seen in North America, “the chance of someone infected with MERS landing on US shores is possible,” said Wayne Marasco, an infectious disease expert at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute who led the PNAS study.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/563041
Wednesday, 30 April 2014

MAKKAH — Umrah pilgrims are being protected by a system of integrated preventive health protection measures against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), most commonly known as coronavirus.

No coronavirus cases have been reported and all visitors are said to be in good health.

Local authorities said they have mobilized all resources to ensure coronavirus does not strike pilgrims.

Deputy Haj Minister for Haj Affairs, Hatem Qadi, confirmed that all Grand Mosque visitors are free from coronavirus infections.

“The ministry urges citizens, residents, and Grand Mosque visitors to take all possible preventive measures against coronavirus, by wearing preventive masks, avoiding crowded areas and maintaining personal hygiene,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Riyadh is ready to accept MERS patients and can accommodate 500 inpatients and 100 intensive care patients.

A committee of Ministry of Health and hospital officials was set up and began meeting following the decision of the acting Minister of Health, Adel Fakeih, to set up specialized centers to cope with the virus in the Kingdom by setting up centers in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.

Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Hospital’s Executive Director, Dr. Mohammad Al-Shehri, said the hospital is prepared to receive all cases referred to it.

He explained final plans have been put in place to receive coronavirus patients and that he has complete confidence in the hospital's medical staff.

He confirmed the hospital would not seek the help of other experts, whether from inside or outside the Kingdom.

He pointed out the hospital has already treated patients carrying the coronavirus and has acquired good experience in handling such cases.

The hospital has prepared quarantine rooms and a separate entrance for them to admit coronavirus cases, while confirmed cases are then transferred to intensive care units.

The medical complexes that have been allocated as specialized centers for coronavirus cases are equipped with 146 beds for intensive care, separate quarantine rooms with the latest medical equipment and laboratories and outpatient clinics, while other similar centers will be announced shortly.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140430203552

 

Opening of the Temporary Mataf Bridge Phase 2

 

 

'' Lower level open ''

 

Saturday, 03 May 2014 - 4 Rajab 1435

Makkah Municipality recently said there are many reasons why it set up a railway network in the city. The network will lead to increased urban development outside the central area. Many estimates say the city will be able to accommodate 10.8 million Umrah pilgrims by the year 2029 (1450H).

Osama Al-Bar, the city’s mayor, said Makkah is the Qiblah (direction Muslims face when praying) for Muslims and their ultimate religious destination. Every year, the city receives 2.8 million Haj pilgrims and 5 million Umrah pilgrims. These figures are expected to rise to 6.5 million Haj pilgrims and 10.8 million Umrah pilgrims by the year 2029 (1450H).

The city is also visited repeatedly by many residents of Jeddah, Taif and neighboring places for worship throughout the year, especially to perform Friday prayer in the Grand Mosque. Worshippers reach a peak during the fasting month of Ramadan, especially during the last 10 days of the holy month and the Haj season.

All of this makes Makkah a fast-developing city with a rapidly-growing population of 1.6 million. The population will reach 2.2 million by 2029.

Commenting on the current expansion of the Grand Mosque, Al-Bar said: “This expansion will increase the number of worshippers to 1.6 million. This figure is bigger than the number of worshippers that can be provided accommodation within short walking distance from the Grand Mosque. This means there is a need to increase urban development while making it easy to reach the Grand Mosque by providing means of public transport.”

He pointed out that the current transportation situation in Makkah has numerous problems such as the low capacity of the expressways, which causes severe traffic jams, lack of sufficient parking and alternative means of transport and mixing of traffic with the movement of pedestrians.

“Despite the fact that the current projects will be of great benefit, they will not solve these problems. There is still an urgent need for providing a modern public transport system to meet the needs of the residents and visitors for Haj and Umrah. In the absence of such a system, the expansion of the city and the annual increase in the number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims will lead to deterioration of the situation. Finally, the city will not be able to achieve its maximum capacity.”

He further said: “Al-Balad Al-Amin Company for Urban Development (owned by Makkah Municipality) conducted a feasibility study to establish a network of railways in Makkah and introduce means of public transport with a sizable capacity.”

The company took the help of a consortium comprising specialist international consultants in railways. The results were as follows:

1 – Setting up and operating a railway network in Makkah is technically feasible.

2 – Proposal for a 114-km long railway network with 62 stations to be constructed by the beginning of 2029 to meet the needs of residents and visitors.

3 – Possibility of extending the network in future with the continuous growth of Makkah to reach 182 km and 88 stations.

4 – The railway network will improve the environmental conditions in Makkah by reducing noise, air and visual pollution.

5 – The railway network will support sustainable development of Makkah and growth of its economy.

“The Kingdom’s government cares a great deal about the development and strategic projects in Makkah, as they are related to serving the residents of the holy city as well as Haj and Umrah pilgrims. The project was approved by the royal decree No. 45268 dated Aug. 25, 2012. There was also approval for implementing all its stages for 10 years with full financing by the government. It assigned this task to the Authority for Developing Makkah and the Masha’er,” Al-Bar said.

A supervisory ministerial committee was formed for the project under the chairmanship of the Emir of Makkah Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah, who is also the chairman of the Authority for Developing Makkah and the Masha’er. This committee includes ministers of municipal and rural affairs, finance, transport and Haj as members.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140503203887

Sunday 4 May 2014

Several Haj and Umrah pilgrimage establishments have stopped accepting applications for Umrah visas from pilgrims over 60, as well as children, following a Health Ministry advisory to that effect as part of measures to contain the MERS virus.

“We will also stop providing Haj visas to pilgrims who have not been vaccinated against other types of flu,” Saad Al-Quraishi, president of the Haj and Umrah Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), told Arab News.

The spread of the MERS virus in the Western Province, particularly Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, has prompted many service providers to turn away older pilgrims although the government has not yet issued any official decision on the matter.

The decision comes two months ahead of Ramadan.

Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih last week advised children and pilgrims over 65, the age groups most prone to contracting the virus, to postpone embarking on any pilgrimage until the threat has subsided.

Umrah and Haj service establishments, who fear the disease may take its toll on the number of would-be pilgrims, have also introduced preventive advice and measures to their clients.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/565341
Sunday, 04 May 2014 - 5 Rajab 1435

MAKKAH — Deputy Haj Minister Hatim Al-Qadi said no decision has been taken by the Ministry of Health to ban the elderly from Haj and Umrah this year.

He noted that the health authorities have not informed the Ministry of Haj of any procedures in this regard.

"The Ministry of Haj is continually coordinating with the Ministry of Health to monitor the health situation between Umrah visitors and no epidemics have been recorded among the visitors, whose number has exceeded 4 million since the beginning of the year," he added.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140504204009 Saturday 3 May 2014

Health authorities on Saturday reported 18 new infections from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus and raised the death toll to 111 in the kingdom, up from 107 on Friday.
In its latest MERS update on its website, however, the Ministry of Health mentioned only two new fatalities: a 69-year-old woman in Makkah, who was suffering from tuberculosis and anemia, and a 25-year-old man in Jeddah, who was admitted to a government hospital on April 27, 2014 after displaying respiratory symptoms.

The 18 confirmed cases reported on Saturday, the biggest daily increase in new infections so far, jacked up the total number of cases in the kingdom to 396 since September 2012 when the virus was discovered.

Of the new cases, seven were in Jeddah, five in Riyadh, four in Makkah and two in Madinah. Thirteen are currently in public hospitals and five were sent to home isolation, said the report.

Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih had earlier said the MOH was currently focusing on a two-pronged approach to prevent and treat MERS and to offer the best health care services to the people in the Kingdom.

In a meeting on Wednesday with members of the National Scientific Committee for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases and officials from the ministries of interior, higher education, municipal affairs, National Guard, defense and private health sector executives, Fakeih urged officials to make more field visits to ensure proper health care during this period of crisis.

Fakeih said the officials should pay attention to the values of sincerity, honesty, and perseverance; perfection and transparency, and provide services with a sense of dedication, kindness and love.

He also urged officials to work as a team and ensure proper coordination with the concerned officials to give the best health care to the patients.

In July many foreign pilgrims are expected to visit Makkah and Madinah during Islam's fasting month of Ramadan. Millions more are expected in early October for the annual Haj.

On Friday the United States said it had discovered its first confirmed case of the disease in a man who had recently been in Saudi Arabia. Egypt said it discovered its first case, also in a man who had been in Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

Infections of MERS in Saudi Arabia, where it was discovered two years ago, have more than doubled since the start of April, but the total number of deaths has increased at a slower rate.

A higher number of people without symptoms are also being found with the disease, suggesting that the rapid increase in recent weeks is partly due to wider testing of people who have been in close contact with MERS patients.

MERS, a form of coronavirus like the more deadly SARS, can cause fever, coughing, shortness of breath and pneumonia. However, it is not easy to transmit between people and the World Health Organisation has not advised any travel restrictions for Saudi Arabia.

Scientists say the most likely animal reservoir, from which new cases are becoming infected, is Saudi Arabia's population of camels.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/565011

Sunday, 04 May 2014

MAKKAH — Visitors and Umrah pilgrims as well as residents of the holy city have been complaining about difficulties in obtaining Zamzam water bottles in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque.

They said the closure of the free Zamzam water filling locations at Kuday, the lack of accessibility for vehicles to the filling stations in Al-Ghazza District and the arrest of several people selling Zamzam water in the streets have all added to their suffering in getting Zamzam water, Al-Madinah daily reported. They asked the concerned authorities to organize facilities for collecting Zamzam water by visitors and Umrah pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the General Administration for Environmental Health in Makkah Municipality confirmed that it has conducted a study on organizing the sale of Zamzam water through stalls at the gateways to Makkah and airports in different cities and regions of the Kingdom.

Saudi national Awadh Muhammad Al-Shihri said under the current system of selling Zamzam water, the bottling factory fixed a quota of not more than 20 bottles for the citizen and 10 bottles for the expatriate. He described this system as ineffective.

He said: “We used to get 20 bottles every week. Then they decreased it to 10 bottles a week for undisclosed reasons. This is at a time when we see tens of violators and undocumented residents trading in Zamzam water bottles in the courtyards of the factory at double the price. They have large quantities and we do not know how they got them.”

Saudi national Muhammad Al-Majed said: “I was surprised by the silence of the concerned authorities about the chaos and unscrupulous actions taking place at the distribution station in Kuday. I hope the quantities granted to each citizen get reconsidered. I also wish the hawkers at the entrances of the factory will be questioned on how they obtained these quantities and who facilitated this matter for them. I suggest that the security authorities, the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution and the anti-corruption authorities investigate these practices.

The visitors and Umrah pilgrims are being fleeced by a group of expatriates who sell Zamzam water in the central area of the holy, especially on Fridays in the absence of the committees for controlling violations and chaotic phenomena over weekends.”

Jameel Khayyat and Abdulaziz Abdullah Bakheet demanded: “The Ministry of Water and the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques should give priority to the issue of creating more sales points for Zamzam water. An urgent plan ought to be drawn up to solve this problem, especially in the central area in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.”

Sami Al-Sabbah, member of the municipal council in Makkah, said: “The council will present a proposal to organize the sale of Zamzam water and to set up stalls at the gateways and exits of Makkah, aside from legal sales points in the surroundings of the Grand Mosque. The current system does not meet the needs of visitors and Umrah pilgrims.”

Ziyad Muhammad Farsi, member of the Board of Directors of Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), said Zamzam water represents a real value for Makkah and the Kingdom in general. It is of concern to the whole Muslim world.

He stressed the importance of creating high standard sales outlets within the districts of Makkah, near the Grand Mosque and at major hotels. He suggested that the salesmen wear the same uniform. He said the task should be assigned to a specialist company so as to sell Zamzam water throughout the Kingdom in uniform bottles at all sales outlets and airports.

Director of environmental health in Makkah Municipality Dr. Muhammad Hashim Al-Fawtawi said the directives ban the sale of Zamzam water on the streets. He said exposing the Zamzam bottles to the sun may lead to serious complications.

Al-Fawtawi said people should be prevented from selling jerry cans filled with normal water claiming it to be Zamzam. He mentioned a location in the Al-Shawqiyah area where normal water is filled in cans and sold as Zamzam. He said 7,890 bottles of different sizes were destroyed recently.

He said although the King Abdullah Project for filling Zamzam has a storage capacity of 200,000 bottles daily, Umrah pilgrims and visitors cannot reach the single sales point. This has given the opportunity to brokers to trade in Zamzam by purchasing a large quantity at a price of SR5 a bottle and selling it for SR20.

Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, called for a project to establish several Zamzam water sales points in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

He also said the private sector should be entrusted with the task of appropriately transporting Zamzam water to all regions of the Kingdom. He stressed the need for cooperation among different government agencies to combat the black market in Zamzam.

Al-Sudais said setting up of more sales points would mean everyone will get bottles of the holy water at the same price. He said the sales points could also be established in the same way tea stalls and restaurants are built along highways leading out of Makkah.

Al-Sudais said the project would create jobs for young Saudis.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140504203972

Monday, 05 May 2014

RIYADH — At least 21 passengers suffered moderate to severe injuries Saturday, when two buses crashed into a truck, which was parked on the side of Qassim-Riyadh Road. One of the buses caught fire on impact. Civil Defense firefighters and Red Crescent paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after the accident had been reported. Some of the seriously injured passengers were airlifted to nearby hospitals.

The two buses were coming from Abu Dhabi and were on their way to Makkah. Traffic officers started an investigation into the cause of the accident and why the bus drivers failed to see the parked truck on the road.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140505204048

Monday 5 May 2014

There has been no official age restriction on Umrah and Haj pilgrims over the age of 65, said Ali Al-Ghamdi, an official at the Haj Ministry.

Advice has been issued to pilgrims above a certain age and to children as part of preventive measures to control the spread of the virus in the Western Province, he said.

“The deadly coronavirus has reduced the number of domestic pilgrims but has had no impact on applications for Haj and Umrah pilgrims coming from abroad,” said Al-Ghamdi.

The Haj Ministry has also not received any inquiries from Haj missions about potential restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus, he said.

Preparations for the upcoming Haj season are in full swing and the process of issuing visas was completed two months ago, Al-Ghamdi said. “The Haj and Interior Ministries are the sole entities authorized to issue advisories on Haj matters.”

Pilgrims arriving from abroad into King Abdulaziz International Airport were not seen wearing face masks, Arab News confirmed. Airport staff also said that hardly anyone was seen wearing face masks on the premises.

“The coronavirus may be a cause for concern for residents within the Kingdom, but not for us,” Abdul Salam Kutty, a pilgrim who recently arrived from Calicut, India, told Arab News.

“We have been reading about the spread of this virus in Jeddah, but this did not deter us from embarking on our pilgrimage,” said Nayeemullah Sharif, another Indian pilgrim who had arrived from Hyderabad.

Samah Al-Ezz, an Egyptian medical practitioner who arrived from Cairo to perform the Umrah, expressed similar views.

“I intend to visit Makkah next week irrespective of the situation,” said Mohammed Sarwar, an Indian expat who lives in Washington D.C.

Airline officials said that business has not been affected and that there have been no flight and hotel cancellations.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/565901