Saudi Arabia announces guidelines for Maldivian Umrah pilgrims,...
24 January 2021

Saudi Arabia announces guidelines for Maldivian Umrah pilgrims,...

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has established a set of guidelines to be followed when Maldivian pilgrims visit to perform Umrah pilgrimage, during the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic.

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Madinah joins world’s healthiest cities
24 January 2021

Madinah joins world’s healthiest cities

JEDDAH: The Saudi city of Madinah has been acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) as among the world’s healthiest cities. The holy city gained the accreditation after a visiting WHO team said that it met all the global standards required to be a healthy city. Madinah is believed to be the first city with a population of more than 2 million to be recognized under

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Jordanians rethink umrah plans in light of new travel conditions
23 January 2021

Jordanians rethink umrah plans in light of new travel conditions

AMMAN — New rules for Muslim pilgrims have been issued, allowing only those aged between 18 and 50 to perform Hajj, the greater Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and one of the five pillars of Islam, and umrah, the lesser Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca that can be taken at any time.

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Netherlands and Dubai ban travellers from SA due to Covid variant
22 January 2021

Netherlands and Dubai ban travellers from SA due to Covid variant

Many countries continue to bar travellers from SA, as they implement renewed lockdowns and travel restrictions due to new coronavirus variants.

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'Father of kittens' at Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem passes away due to COVID
21 January 2021

'Father of kittens' at Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem passes away due to COVID

For decades, Younis would drive over 90 minutes from his home in Arara, an Arab-Israeli town in northern Israel, five times a week to feed the cats and birds at the compound.

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German startup to help Saudi hotels utilize empty spaces
21 January 2021

German startup to help Saudi hotels utilize empty spaces

A German start-up established during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic to help hotels overcome a slump in occupancy rates is now working in Saudi Arabia. NeuSpace aims to assist operators in coming up with new ways to generate revenue from their empty spaces.

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One Thousand Roads to Makkah: Four Women’s Stories
21 January 2021

One Thousand Roads to Makkah: Four Women’s Stories

“One Thousand Roads to Mecca: Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing about the Muslim Pilgrimage” (collected and edited by Michael Wolfe) is a treasure trove: the chronicles of hujjaaj from across time and geography, including – to my special interest – Muslim women of varying backgrounds, in wildly different time periods. I immediately jumped to their […]

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Indonesia raises umrah reference rate to accommodate higher COVID-19 costs
20 January 2021

Indonesia raises umrah reference rate to accommodate higher COVID-19 costs

The Indonesian government sets a minimum rate for umrah packages that travel agencies must follow.

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Madinah governor inaugurates exhibition of rare manuscripts
19 January 2021

Madinah governor inaugurates exhibition of rare manuscripts

Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman on Tuesday inaugurated the exhibition of rare manuscripts in the library of the Prophet’s Mosque. The inauguration was attended by the president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, and the secretary-general of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah),

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Hajjar: New project to be designed for enhanced dates sector production chain competitiveness and hence increased exports and jobs
19 January 2021

Hajjar: New project to be designed for enhanced dates sector production chain competitiveness and hence increased exports and jobs

The virtual exhibition aims to promote trade and investment in the Madinah dates sector as a contribution to the enhancement and advancement of local product, increase the province’s GDP by developing exports and establish trade relations with the external markets in the dates sector.

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Exhibit of rare manuscripts in Prophet’s Mosque to open this week
17 January 2021

Exhibit of rare manuscripts in Prophet’s Mosque to open this week

A permanent exhibition of rare manuscripts will open this week in the Prophet Mohammed’s Mosque in the holy Saudi city of Medina. Photo for illustrative purposes.

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Saudi Arabia launches $270m company to develop the holy sites
17 January 2021

Saudi Arabia launches $270m company to develop the holy sites

A $270 million company to develop Saudi Arabia’s holy sites has been launched. Kidana will be headquartered in Mina and is the first closed joint-stock company owned by the Royal Commission for Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Holy Sites (RCMC).

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