Latest News & Updates

TV presenter Kristiane Backer praises KSA’s Hajj efforts

JEDDAH: Former MTV Europe presenter Kristiane Backer has praised the Kingdom’s monumental efforts to safeguard pilgrims as they perform Hajj rituals. During her pilgrimage to perform Hajj rituals this season, Backer said she was impressed by the ability of the Kingdom accommodates more than two million pilgrims, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

New initiatives for local community to develop KSA's Al-Ula heritage site

JEDDAH: Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud, minister of culture and governor of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula, launched on Wednesday a program of initiatives that will put the local community at the heart of the preservation and development of the region. The five initiatives came after the prince met with members of the Al-Ula community as part of his

Pilgrims celebrate Eid, throw pebbles at the Satan

More than 2.3 million pilgrims, who have reassembled in Mina, on Tuesday celebrated the Eid Al-Adha with the rest of the Islamic world, threw the pebbles at the Satan, slaughtered their sacrificial animals, changed into plain clothes, shaved off their hair and proceeded to the Grand Mosque to do tawaf Al-Ifada at the end of the Haj rites.

Pilgrims win accolades for compliance of crowd management rules

Mishal Al-Robaian, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, said that there were 28 sunstroke cases and 143 exhaustion cases were reported among the pilgrims. Col. Sami Al-Shuwairekh, assistant commander of the Haj Security Forces, said that as many as 192 fake Haj firms were apprehended up to Tuesday morning. He said that a total of 926,686 people without a Haj permit and 253,457 vehicles transporting them were sent back from various entry points to Makkah and the holy sites.

Makkah imam urges faithful to show mercy to weaker sections

At the Grand Mosque, Imam Sheikh Faisal Ghazawi led the prayers. In his Eid sermon, Ghazawi called on the faithful to shun division and hatred, and embrace love and compassion while showing mercy to the weaker sections in the society. He emphasized that Haj is instrumental in further consolidating the faith in monotheism.

Millions of pilgrims walk to Mina to perform Jamarat, Eid Al-Adha prayers

MAKKAH: Muslims celebrated the first day of Eid Al-Adha on Tuesday, which marks the closing parts of the Hajj pilgrimage. The massive crowds had spent the previous night camped out in Muzdalifah, having performed the most important of the Hajj rituals, visiting mount Arafat, where they believe the Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon. They had also endured poor weather

Mina communicates with pilgrims in several languages

Mina welcomes pilgrims with signage in several languages — including Arabic, English, French, Urdu and Indonesian — on roadsides, above bridges and on camp gates. Pilgrims from around the world flock to Mina every year to perform Hajj, and language differences can hinder communication. Hence the use of signage in various languages to help pilgrims perform their rituals, find

Amenities provided for pilgrims on Arafat

ARAFAT: On the most important day of Hajj, pilgrims flocked to Mount Arafat, but the high summer temperatures were a hindrance to those wanting to perform their religious obligation as Muslims. But various organizations stepped in to help, providing help to pilgrims on Arafat. Umbrellas were distributed to provide shade and avoid heat stroke, there was also cold water to

Pilgrims praise Saudi efforts during Hajj

ARAFAT: Pilgrims from around the world have expressed their gratitude for the services provided to them by the Saudi authorities, and praised the quality. “Despite the small size of the holy sites area and the massive gatherings of pilgrims coming yearly to this place, Saudi Arabia has succeeded in managing the huge crowds,” said Jihad Obaid, an Iraqi pilgrim performing Hajj

Hajj is a great business opportunity for young Saudis

JEDDAH: Each year, a large number of young Saudis head to Makkah during Hajj season to work and earn some money. Private companies and government agencies offer a variety of seasonal jobs, whether helping pilgrims directly or working for a company that provides services and facilities. Some of the more popular choices of work among Saudi youths include transportation, serving

Role of Hajj in the introduction of Saudi banknotes

JEDDAH: The riyal became the currency of Saudi Arabia since it was founded in 1932. Before that the currency was being used only in the Hijaz region. The first Saudi currency bearing the name of the country, which was smaller and lighter than its predecessor, was minted in silver in 1935.

Food trucks serve in holy places for first time