Dar al tawheed, aka intercontinental hotel to be demolished. Well I heard that in 1995. But this time it looks like it is going to happen. More later inshaAllah.
See Above Images.
This land was owned by Malaysians since 1913!! the land area is 1164 m2, with a price of 308000 S.R/m. by the way...Dar AL-Tawheed is next.
Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar, left, meets with Sri Lankan Senior Minister for Urban Development
Abdul Hameed Mohamed Fowzie at his office in Jeddah on Wednesday. (SPA)
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS
Published: Jan 26, 2012 01:21 Updated: Jan 26, 2012 01:33
RIYADH: Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar said Wednesday that around 80 countries have requested an increased quota of Haj pilgrims, but the ministry has to restrict the number of Hajis according to the availability of accommodation in Mina.
The Haj minister was discussing such a request with Sri Lankan Senior Minister for Urban Development Abdul Hameed Mohamed Fowzie at his office in Jeddah on Wednesday. Hajjar said according to the Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) teachings, the sacred area of Mina cannot be extended and the pilgrims have to be housed in the demarcated area during their stay.
Sri Lankan Consul General Athambawa Uthumalebbe also took part in the talks between the two ministers.
Speaking to Arab News from Jeddah following the talks, Fowzie, who is also in charge of Sri Lankan Haj Affairs, described the talks as useful to help prepare for the next pilgrimage.
Fowzie said he made a request to the Haj minister to stipulate a fixed quota of pilgrims for Sri Lanka during the signing of the agreement between the two ministers. He explained that last year a quota of 2,800 pilgrims was given, but subsequently on a request made by the Sri Lankan government the Haj Ministry increased this by 1,000. However, by that time there was no time to fill this increased quota.
The minister said Haj operators exploit such situations and increase their charges, claiming last-minute arrangements could cost more money.
The Sri Lankan minister said the Saudi minister assured him that a fixed quota of Lankan pilgrims would be provided. "Such an arrangement is good where we need not bargain for an increased quota and can go ahead with the stipulated number," he said.
"In 2010 we received a quota of 5,800. This year I have requested the Haj minister to approve the same number," Fowzie said, adding the Saudi minister said he would be taking up the matter with the relevant committee that deals with pilgrim quotas.
He also thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for providing improved facilities and services to the pilgrims who come from all parts of the world. "There was a time when stampedes were an annual feature. Now the new improvements at the Jamrat have facilitated the smooth flow of pilgrims in the area," Fowzie said.
The Ministry of Rural and Municipal Affairs is expected to implement development projects in the holy sites worth over SR1.4 billion. Two new projects will connect Aziziyah district with the Jamrat area via tunnels and another will link the King's Road to Al-Sharaie district. There are other projects that include the expansion and improvement of the western area of the Jamrat.
Dispelling rumors about Sri Lanka expelling Islamic preachers, Fowzie said tourist visas are given to non-Sri Lankans for their leisure holidays. "There was a misunderstanding with the local immigration authorities and now they have been sorted out with the parties concerned," he said, pointing out visitors from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Middle East would be allowed to enjoy their stay and continue their Dawa'h work as per the stipulated period mentioned in their respective visas. "Regular preaching by such visiting scholars have refreshed Islamic values in the island," Fowzie said, adding 8 percent of the country's 21 million population are Muslim.
the new Expansion with the 4 new minarets, i catch it from alarabiya news about the British Museum exhibition about the Hajj.
but as you see it seems the behind 2 minarets they will be very high compared to the old and the even the current new expansion 2 middle minarets
I think this will not go ahead as they have already built 2 in the middle, where as the above image shows 2 small and 2 big minarets on the outer parts.
Sen. Babar Awan is welcomed by compatriots in Madinah.
By ARAB NEWS
Published: Jan 27, 2012 00:17 Updated: Jan 27, 2012 01:41
MADINAH: Sen. Babar Awan, Pakistan's former law minister and vice president of Pakistan People's Party stressed the need to adhere to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for peace, love, compassion and tolerance.
Speaking to a group of Pakistanis at Madinah airport Wednesday, he said the guidance provided by the Prophet can give us wisdom and strength. Awan said the Prophet through his teachings saved the people from destruction and presented a concept of rights and responsibilities in a society, which if followed can create harmony, balance and ensure justice.
Highlighting the role of overseas Pakistanis, Awan said the government accorded high priority to manpower export. He said overseas Pakistani workers are the second largest source of foreign exchange earning of Pakistan which is the backbone of the economy.
Awan on arrival in Madinah was received by a large number of Pakistanis led by Ghulam Nabi Butt, convener of PPP in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking about Saudi-Pakistan ties on Thursday Awan said the two countries enjoyed strong historic ties.
He said the government and the people of Saudi Arabia always helped Pakistan in difficult times. Awan said every Pakistani knows that Saudi Arabia wants Pakistan to become strong and prosperous. He however, stressed the need for strengthening economic and trade ties between the two countries.
Published: Jan 28, 2012 23:44 Updated: Jan 28, 2012 23:44
RIYADH: Transport Minster Jabara Al-Seraisry said Saturday the SR30.8 billion contract for Phase II of the Haramain High Speed Rail Project (HHSRP) linking the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah was awarded with total transparency and fairness.
"Formalities in (the award of contracts) for the HHSRP were completed strictly adhering to internationally followed principles of transparency and fairness and with the aim of achieving the highest standards in the world," Al-Seraisry, who is also chairman of the Saudi Railway Organization (SRO), said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency.
In order to guarantee the best bid in terms of finance, technology and standards, the ministry invited global bids from companies specializing in high-speed railways, Al-Seraisry said.
A high-level committee of the ministry, SRO and the Public Investment Fund in addition to international experts specializing in evaluating and studying bids scrutinized the bids ensuring total transparency and competitiveness, he said.
The minister also pointed out the contract for the second phase of the project, which was signed with Al-Shoula Co. representing a Saudi-Spanish Consortium on Jan. 15, is one of the largest projects for high-speed rail in the world.
"The winning consortium was selected because it quoted the lowest," the minister said, adding that the bid was also compared with the costs of similar projects undertaken in other countries.
"For instance, the cost of the 88-km high speed project linking Paris with Brussels in 1997 was approximately 1.5 billion euros, equivalent to SR6 billion at the time. The cost of the 200-km high-speed rail in Belgium, which was commissioned in phases beginning from 1997, was 5.5 billion euros, equivalent to SR22 billion at the time," the minister pointed out.
"It means that the cost of a kilometer of high speed rail was SR70 million and that is without considering the tougher terrain and other factors in the Kingdom compared to ones prevailing in those countries," the minister said.
He added that if the project started this year the cost would have been higher in view of the present inflation.
"The work required for the HHSRP is more difficult and demanding compared to previous projects as it involves laying railway lines, manufacture and operation of equipment and installation of systems of telecommunications, signals and electrification apart from importing a fleet of train engines and coaches. The contract also involves operation and maintenance of the project over a period of 12 years in addition to establishing a training center for Saudizing the project.
He said the length of the 450-km railway and extreme weather conditions and the uncommon rush during the Haj and Umrah season have also have to be considered, he said.
The HHSRP is being implemented at the orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for the implementation of safe and modern high-speed railways, especially to make transportation of Haj and Umrah pilgrims safe and easier, the minister said on an earlier occasion.
The Makkah-Jeddah-Madinah rail link is expected to carry more than 150,000 passengers daily during peak seasons.
He noted the project not only serves citizens and residents in the Kingdom, but also Muslims around the world. When completed, it will represent a quantum leap in the Kingdom's transport sector and usher in a new era of high-speed trains for passenger transport, he added.
He underlined the importance of the railway link projects being implemented by Saudi Arabia, which will have a great impact on socioeconomic development as well as improving the investment environment and competitiveness of Saudi exports.
With the awarding of the second phase, work on the project will start and be completed according to schedule.
Published: Jan 30, 2012 02:35 Updated: Jan 30, 2012 02:35
RIYADH: The amnesty period for visa overstayers has been extended until March. 8, according to a recent circular issued to all diplomatic missions by the Ministry of Interior.
According to the circular, the amnesty will apply only to those who had overstayed their Umrah, Haj and visit visas to the Kingdom.
In its circular, the ministry requested all foreign embassies and their respective consulates to extend their cooperation by urging their citizens who are overstayers to report to the government department concerned to verify their travel documents and leave the Kingdom within the amnesty period.
"Those visa overstayers who do not comply with the ministry's instruction may have to face penalties," the circular said.
A public announcement have been displayed on the notice board at the deportation camp in Jeddah requesting overstayers to report to the authorities so they can be repatriated home.
According to sources from Jeddah, the Tarheel (deportation camp) authorities have set up a special cell with five counters to attend to cases involving overstayers. Arab News learned such services in deportation camps in other cities in the Kingdom are currently not available, since the ministry is targeting Umrah and Haj overstayers who are staying in and around the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Applicants should submit their passports or the outpasses issued by their respective missions together with air tickets. The applicants will be fingerprinted to ensure that they have come into the Kingdom for the specified purpose.
Those who have overstayed their visit visas will be required to pay a fine in accordance with the length of the period of overstay.
S. D. Moorthy, consul at the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, said all affected Indian nationals are being directed to take advantage of this amnesty opportunity without fail. "If anyone is still in the country after the set deadline, he will be severely dealt with by the authorities," the diplomat added.
The official advised affected Indian nationals to approach the Tarheel center immediately with passport and air ticket to get the exit visa stamped on their travel documents after the fingerprints scan. The passport must have the visa sticker on it. If the passport is damaged, he said the applicant has to get the computer printout from the Jawazat (Passport/Immigration Department) confirming his visa status before approaching Tarheel authorities.
The government offered an amnesty for visa overstayers for a period of one year from September 2010 to September 2011. During the last amnesty period, Moorthy said the consulate repatriated some 15,000 Indians.
Moorthy estimates that another 10,000 Indian overstayers are living in the Western Province. He said a team of officials from the consulate is sent daily to the Tarheel to assist Indian expatriates who go there for repatriation.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has given directives to commence a major expansion of Al-Haram Mosque.
With this in mind, The King Abdulaziz Public Library, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has launched an initiative to inform and update the global community of this ground breaking expansion project. As part of this initiative The King Abdul Aziz Public Library has partnered with the British Museum, London UK, to launch the "Hajj Exhibition - Journey to the heart of Islam"
The new kapl-hajj.org website www.kapl-hajj.org is a wider part of this initiative to provide information, news and updates as well as feedback from the global community on their personal experiences.
This website endeavours to provide a rich resource of text and media not only of the current work taking place but also of both historic and future plans of the Hajj expansion program, to provide pilgrims with a peaceful and safe spiritual journey to the heart of their Islam, the Hajj.
Published: Jan 31, 2012 02:03 Updated: Jan 31, 2012 02:03
JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal on Monday stressed the fact that the Saudi government is keen on the speedy completion of development projects in Makkah and the holy sites because of it is the capital of Islam.
Prince Khaled, who is president of the Makkah and Holy Sites Development Authority and chairman of the Executive Committee of the King Abdullah Project for Makkah Construction, was addressing a meeting of the development authority's executive committee in Jeddah.
Describing the projects of development as unique, Prince Khaled said: "All departments related to development projects in the holy city should strive to stick to the schedule and complete the first phase of the King Abdullah Project for Makkah Constructions to coincide with the completion of the expansion of the northern courtyard of the Grand Mosque, ring roads, other road networks and the development of unplanned districts."
He also said all Saudis should view the achievements at Makkah and holy sites as an honor to them all. "Saudis are honored because they alone got the opportunity to serve the holy city of Makkah," the prince said.
The meeting also discussed various executive measures taken for the implementation of the King Abdullah Project for Makkah Constructions.
In another development, the prince said while speaking at a workshop of the Regional Urban Studies Center in Jeddah that statistical studies on urban matters was of great importance because no decision on urban development could be made without them.
Makkah governor: Firms must meet project deadlines
Makkah projects must be completed by 2015 says province governor.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has again underscored the need for firms working on contracts under the King Abdullah Project for Makkah Construction and Holy Sites Development project to stick to deadlines.
Al-Faisal is president of the Makkah and Holy Sites Development Authority and chairman of the Executive Committee of the King Abdullah Project for Makkah Construction, and made the comments during a meeting of the development authority’s executive committee in Jeddah.
“All departments related to development projects in the holy city should strive to stick to the schedule and complete the first phase of the King Abdullah Project for Makkah Constructions to coincide with the completion of the expansion of the northern courtyard of the Grand Mosque, ring roads, other road networks and the development of unplanned districts,” he told the committee.
Al-Faisal warned contractors late last year that it was imperitive the project stick to deadlines - and the latest comments underscore that urgency.
Central Makkah is undergoing a massive revamp, and the multi-billion dollar an integrated transport system with trams and a metro service which is all designed to solve traffic problems during peak seasons.
“The project should be completed so that it can offer the highest level of services to pilgrims. The project should also preserve the indigenous and Islamic identity of the locations but in keeping with a modern image,” Prince Khaled said late last year.
The first phase of the multi-billion dollar project was set for completion in 2015.
In mid-January Makkah’s mayor Osama Al-Bar announced $370m worth of projects that include a tunnelling project that would link the Aziziyah and Jamarat areas, and another that will link King's Road to Al-Sharaie district.
Madinah Governor Patronizes A Symposium On Prophet's Rights
Madinah, Rabi'I 9, 1433, Feb 1, 2012,
Prince Abdulaziz bin Majed bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Madinah Region patronized here yesterday evening a symposium entitled "Prophet's Rights of His Nation" organized by Islamic University of Madinah in cooperation with Global Organization for Introduction of Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him).
Addressing the Symposium, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of Senior Scholars Council and General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, said that one of the Prophet's greatest rights of his nation is to clarify that his message is addressed to the whole world and, mercy for all peoples, calling on Muslims all over the world to adhere to and follow up Prophet's Sunnah.
In another speech, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Turki, the Secretary General of Muslim World League said, "The Global Organization for Introduction of Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) has been supported by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded on the Islamic religion."
449.2km rail system will reduce congestion caused by about 70,000 buses during pilgrimage
Pilgrims using the new Makkah Metro. The capacity of the Makkah metro will be 70,000 to 80,000 persons per hour in one direction.
February 2, 2012
Dubai: Saudi Arabia's new metro system will ease traffic congestion during the annual Haj pilgrimage, a top official has said.
The Haramain High Speed Rail project, which is under construction, will be a 449.2km high-speed inter-city system linking Madinah and Makkah.
Each year three million to four million pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Haj.
During the Haj around two million people come from abroad by air and an estimated one million come by road.
During this period, Makkah, which has a resident population of 1.7 million, experiences high congestion from the 70,000 vehicles that transport the pilgrims between the sites of the pilgrimage.
"The number of pilgrims is increasing. We have about 70,000 buses moving between [three holy places].
"It's very difficult to transport more than three million pilgrims in a very limited time and space," said Salim Al Bosta of the Central Directorate for Development of Projects at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
"The target group of the metro system will be the pilgrims from inside the country, from the Gulf states and pilgrims coming by land by bus," he added.
Shuttle transport from Arafat to Muzdalifah, which is about 12km, can take six to eight hours, and in some cases up to 10 hours because of the congestion.
Long hours
Around 25 per cent of pilgrims move between the holy places on foot to avoid spending long hours in vehicles on the roads. In the past, the high density of worshippers has resulted in some pilgrims being trampled to death.
The capacity of the Makkah metro will be 70,000 to 80,000 persons per hour in each direction, while the shuttle bus services reach a capacity of 10,000 persons per hour in each direction. The electric trains will transport pilgrims at a speed of 320 km/h. The system will have nine stations and will cater to the pilgrimage route along Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah and Jabal Al Rahmah.
"To solve the transport problem to and from Al Mashaaer we need three train lines from Arafat to Muzdalifah to Mina, and in the future to the Grand Mosque," said Al Bosta.
The line will also be built keeping in mind development projects such as the extension of the Grand Mosque.
Construction work is in progress in this file photo of the holy city of Makkah. A cement crisis resulting from illegal trading and a steep hike in prices is currently spreading in major cities of the Kingdom.
By ARAB NEWS
Published: Feb 2, 2012 00:06 Updated: Feb 2, 2012 01:01
JEDDAH: A cement crisis resulting from illegal trading and a steep hike in prices is spreading from Jeddah and Madinah to other major cities and regions in the Kingdom.
In Jeddah a bag of cement now costs over SR25 and most dealings take place through middlemen whereas in Madinah the prices of cement per bag have shot up by SR20.
Subsequently, prices of ready-mix concrete shot up 30 percent in Jeddah and other parts of the western region. Ready-mix concrete manufacturers attributed the steep hike in prices to a five-week long crisis in cement supply. According to a report in Al-Eqtisadiah business daily, a number of ready-mix concrete factories in the Eastern Province hiked the prices of liquid cement Wednesday.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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