329,000 people stopped from entering Makkah for lack of Hajj permit
JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal on Sunday said more than 329,000 people had been stopped from entering the holy city since the start of the Hajj season for lack of Hajj permit. More than 144,000 vehicles without permits had also been disallowed from entering the city, 15 drivers had been arrested for illegally transporting pilgrims, and 181 bogus Hajj offices had
Read article
Saudi Civil Defense steps up safety plan for Hajj
MAKKAH: Teams involved in the implementation of the medical evacuation plan and addressing emergencies involving hazardous materials during the Hajj season held a meeting on Saturday to coordinate their work to maintain pilgrim safety.
Read article
Saudi Arabia puts in place new measurement tools for Hajj quality control
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's National Center for Performance Measurement (ADAA) has announced the launch of measurement operations for this year’s Hajj season. The center will target 50 services provided by 16 government agencies to pilgrims from Saudi Arabia and around the Islamic world in Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and Taif.
Read article
Saudi ambassador leads sendoff for King Salman’s guests from Indonesia
JAKARTA: An Islamic boarding school teacher, police officers, a journalist and a leader of Indonesia’s Muslim organization are among the 20 people invited to perform Hajj this year as guests of King Salman. Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Essam bin Abed Al-Thaqafi bade farewell to the king’s guests at his residence in the Menteng area in central Jakarta on Sunday.
Read article
Makkah Route should extend to Uzbekistan: Envoy
JEDDAH: Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ulugbek Maksudov has said that the Makkah Route initiative is a very useful project to serve Hajj pilgrims.
Read article
Health Ministry to use 'robot' to diagnose patients during Hajj
JEDDAH: For the first year, the Saudi Health Ministry is launching the "robot" technology during this Hajj season to offer medical consultations at hospitals in Mina, and medical caravans. The new technology will offer medical consultations from any region inside the kingdom, to virtually reach using 4G technology any hospital in Mina, a holy site during pilgrimage. A
Read article
Makkah’s real estate sector rises amid growth in pilgrims
Despite the positive long-term outlook, rental performances have continued to record pressures within both the primary and secondary office locations with rental rates down 10% and 11% year-on-year respectively.
Read article
Temperatures to hit 50C during Hajj
JEDDAH: Temperatures during Hajj season this year are expected to reach 50 degrees Celsius on some days, Saudi officials said Sunday. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental protection also expects humidity to reach 85 percent, making the climate feel even hotter. The authority said there was a chance of some rain clouds over Makkah, where pilgrims
Read article
Increased number of pilgrims continues to stimulate Makkah’s key real estate sectors
Despite the positive long-term outlook, rental performances have continued to record pressures within both the primary and secondary office locations with rental rates down 10 percent and 11 percent year-on-year respectively.
Read article
Last Haj flight to land Monday
The authority threatened airway companies transporting pilgrims back home with heavy fines if they delay their flights for no acceptable reasons.
Read article
British bikers cycle 6,500 km to Madinah
Mishaal Al-Touhami, chairman of the Society of Culture and Arts in Madinah warmly welcomed the British pilgrims wishing them a happy stay and an easy and comfortable Haj.
Read article
9,000 copies of Qur’an pulled out of Grand Mosque daily for errors
Harithy said during the high seasons of Ramadan and the Haj, they receive daily about 100 cartons full of unaccredited copies of the Qur'an. "Each carton contains about 80 to 90 copies," he added.
Read article