Saudi allows Indonesia to use biometric identification for hajj pilgrims
The Saudi Arabia authority has allowed Indonesia`s customs to check hajj pilgrims` identity by using biometrics in home country`s embarkation, according to Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin.
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Sars releases Customs Requirements for travelling South Africans
The South African Revenue Services has released the new Customs Requirements for South African travellers.
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How Madinah residents prepare Ramadan meals at Prophet’s mosque
JEDDAH: The residents of Madinah have been using the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to take the opportunity to welcome worshippers at Al-Masjid An-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque) and express their hospitality. Iftar gatherings such as these bring the Madinah community together to socialize and challenge one another in performing good deeds. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) took a
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9 bus stops, 13 car parks to ease traffic in Makkah
To help pilgrims perform their Umrah rituals with ease and comfort, prayers are not being allowed in mataf (circumambulation area around the Kaaba) and mas’a (the stretch between Safa and Marwa hillocks) during the Taraweeh and Tahajjud congregations. The mataf area has been solely dedicated for Umrah pilgrims from Maghreb prayer until the end of the Taraweeh prayer.
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Saudi Hajj and Umrah Committee oversees Red Crescent preparations for pilgrimage season
RIYADH: The Supervisory Committee for Hajj and Umrah has met with the Saudi Red Crescent in Makkah to oversee the preparations for this season. The committee discussed several topics related to the hajj season in the attendance of its head, Mohamad bin al-Qasem, who also toured sites at the holy mosque in Makkah. During his tour he oversaw emergency plans as well as services
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‘Bilal’ — muezzin of Grand Mosque for four decades
Muezzin Al-Mulla said he witnessed in 1979 the incident when prayers at the Grand Mosque were halted for 23 days when the Haram was besieged by Juhayman Al-Aoutaibi who occupied the Grand Mosque, and pledged allegiance to the person who claimed to be the mahdi under the Holy Ka’ba.
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Capetonians urged to sit for itikaaf in Masjidul Aqsa
By Najma Bibi Noor Mahomed South Africans from different parts of the country including Capetonians are urged to observe Itikaaf at Masjidul Aqsa in Palestine...
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Women paramedics volunteer to help visitors of Prophet's Mosque
Al-Dhilaan said the volunteering team includes emergency and first aid paramedics, a supply manager who provides the team with medical equipment, a statistics manager who reports the patients the team deals with to officials at the higher management and a media manager who follows the workflow of the team to ensure that all obstacles ahead of them are dealt with.
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Makkah's public transport system ferries over 1 million pilgrims daily
Motorists who arrive from the direction of Jeddah are being diverted to the Haj parking along Jeddah Expressway, those arriving from Riyadh and Dammam are scheduled to park their cars along Hada and Sharaya highways while Al-Laith Road parking is reserved for those coming from southern areas of the Kingdom.
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FaceOf: Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Bassami, director general of the Saudi Traffic Directorate
Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Bassami, director general of the Traffic Directorate, urged people to confirm any news regarding women driving by checking the source and referring to spokesmen to get the facts straight. He denied statements published by some newspapers on Thursday. He confirmed that women who have international licenses could switch their license to a Saudi one once
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Photos of Al-Khandaq mosque during Ramadan highlight historic importance of Madinah
MADINAH: The holy city of Madinah in Saudi Arabia continues its centuries’ old tradition of receiving visitors and pilgrims who enjoy visiting its famous mosques and landmarks dating back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Al-Khandaq Mosque or the Mosque of the “Trench,” which is also referred to as the “Mosque of the Conquest,” is one of the historical sites that visitors
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Mosque of Bones: Evidence of Prophet Muhammad’s era
JEDDAH: Masjid Al-Izam (Mosque of the Bones) is a historic mosque in Al-Ula governorate, located 300 km north of Madinah. In the ninth year after Hijrah (the emigration of Makkah’s Muslims to Madinah), as the Prophet Muhammad was on his way to battle, he marked the Qibla (the direction in which Muslims should pray) using bones because he could not find rocks or blocks. To mark
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