Saudi capsule hotels and fire extinguishing balls employed for serving pilgrims during Hajj season
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Hadiyah Association has employed global experiences and modern technology to serve pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season by introducing the “capsule hotel” and the “fire extinguishing ball.” Made of plastic and fiberglass, each capsule hotel room is 220-cm-long, 120-cm-wide, and 120-cm-high and is supported by a metal structure. The walls are made of
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Heavy rains greet Hajj pilgrims ahead of day of devotion at holy site of Arafat
ARAFAT: Gusts of winds and heavy rain greeted some of the early pilgrims arriving in Arafat on Sunday evening. Pilgrims who journeyed from Mina watched the night sky light up with flashes of lightning, as they prepared for a day of prayer and devotion on the Arafat plain on Monday. The downpour started just after dusk and lasted for less than an hour with everything returning
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Health Ministry tips for Hajj well-being
The Health Ministry is providing awareness-raising instructions and tips for Hajj on its official website. These instructions cover chronic diseases, such as advising heart and hypertension patients to see a doctor to make sure they can perform Hajj and carry the right medicines, and ensure that the medicines are properly preserved and consumed, especially during Tawaf which
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Saudi telecoms company offers 1 GB free for users on the days of Tarwiya and Arafat
JEDDAH: Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has announced it will provide 1GB free for every pilgrim who uses its prepaid services as a gift to pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season. The gift is aimed at facilitating their experience during Hajj on the day of Tarwiya and Arafat, as part of an initiative organized by the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and
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Muslim World League to host Hajj and Umrah Conference in Mina
MINA: The Muslim World League (MWL) will host its annual Hajj and Umrah Conference in Mina on Wednesday. This year’s theme is “The concept of mercy and consideration in Islam.” More than 500 scholars and intellectuals from 76 countries around the Muslim world will participate.
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Hajj ministry urges pilgrims to comply with scheduling programs to avoid crowd disasters
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has urged pilgrims to abide by crowd-control schedules and rules to avoid dangers that could result in congestion and stampedes. In a message, the ministry urged “brother and sister pilgrims” to adhere to the scheduling program for performing various rituals. “Brother Hajj, Sister Hajjah.. The messenger (peace be upon him) said
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Process to place the Holy Kaaba’s new ‘Kiswa’ begins for Hajj 2018
JEDDAH: Every year, the old black silk cloth that covers the Kaaba is removed and a new one is draped on the 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhu Al-Hijjah, which falls on Monday Aug 20 this year. Known in Arabic as the “Kiswa,” the black and gold cloth that is wrapped around the Kaaba gets replaced once a year during the Hajj season. The move occurs when pilgrims head to Mount
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Special services to aid pilgrims with special needs during Hajj
MAKKAH: The General Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques has begun services to aid pilgrims with special needs during this year’s Hajj season. Among these services is a small talking watch for the visually impaired. These watches tell the time and prayer times via audio alerts. Other services provided by the Presidency’s special needs department are allocated entrances to ease
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A journey to Hajj that changed Islam in America
MAKKAH: Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. But his detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence.
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Hajj Ministry forks out on ‘happy meals’ for pilgrims
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Ministry has put health at the top of its menu with plans to supply more than 2.3 million hygienic meals to pilgrims. The ready-made, sterilized meals come in a range of flavors and will be provided to 15 percent of the pilgrims as part of the ministry’s health and safety program for pilgrims. Hajj Minister Mohammed Salih Bentin told Arab News that
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Azerbaijani pilgrim returns a lost purse to its French owner
A pilgrim from Azerbaijan happened on a purse while he was doing tawaf (circumambulation) around the Kaaba. He immediately took it, opened it and started making calls on the mobile number he found in the purse.
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9 new babies born in holy city ahead of Haj
Providing health care to pilgrims coming from all over the world is a prime challenge. Yet Kingdom has been successfully providing health care accessibility around the clock to pilgrims over the years. Many pilgrims, especially elder ones, who come from different climatic conditions, often fall sick once they land here.
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