Haramain express train to start operation next year
JEDDAH — The Haramain express train will start operation in 2018, local daily Al-Madina reported on Tuesday quoting Rumaih Al-Rumaih, chairman of the Public Transport Authority and the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO).
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Tour agency fined RM15,000 for running umrah packages without licence
KUALA LUMPUR: A tour agency was fined RM15,000 or face a jail sentence of six months by the Sessions Court here, today for running ‘umrah’ tour activities without a valid licence.
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New Hajj quotas welcomed in SA
A new quota for the Hajj next year will allow about five million pilgrims to visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
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Kaaba to be washed only once a year
JEDDAH: The ceremonial washing of the Holy Kaaba will be conducted only once a year and will be performed during the first Hijri month of Muharram, said Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques. He said the presidency has received a royal directive to this effect.Saleh Al-Shaibi, keeper of the Kaaba, said the move was aimed at ensuring the
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Saudis retrace route of Abraha’s army that came to destroy Kaaba
A group of young Saudi history enthusiasts has retraced the path of the People of the Elephant who tried to destroy the Holy Kaaba centuries ago.The Holy Qur’an, in a short chapter, briefly refers to the story of the army of elephants led by Abraha Al-Ashram, who was a governor of Yemen. God destroyed Abraha and his army that included 13 elephants, by sending flocks of birds
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Haj can be funded by loan
Pilgrims can borrow money from the government and banks to perform Haj, said Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, a member of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars. “Debt that will be paid back in monthly installments through salary deductions does not hinder pilgrims from performing Haj,” he said. “Only debt owed to other people must be paid back before embarking on the spiritual journey.”
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