Artist’s impression of the horizontal and vertical expansion of the mataf of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, which will accommodate 130,000 pilgrims at a time. The project, which is expected to be completed in three years, will increase the current capacity of the mataf by 75 percent and extend the
General News
Electric wheelchairs in demand at Haram
MAKKAH – As the new season of Umrah gets underway, there has been a growing stream of pilgrims using electric wheelchairs at the Grand Mosque. However, the General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques has taken precautionary measures to ensure pilgrim safety is not jeopardized by the use of electric
Makkah hotels book rooms for Hajis now
MAKKAH: Although the pilgrimage is more than seven months away, Haj missions and real estate brokers have started reserving residential buildings and hotels for pilgrims, local daily Al-Watan reported Thursday, quoting the real estate committee chairman of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “The missions and the brokers have
10-15 percent increase in Umrah performers this year (2012)
MAKKAH – There has been a 10 to 15 percent increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims this year compared to the same period last year, according to the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s national committee on Haj. Saad Al-Qurashi, acting chairman of the committee, said the increase coincided
The longest Hajj: The Journey's of Ibn Battuta
Written by Douglas Bullis. Illustrated by Norman MacDonald At age 21, Ibn Battuta “set out alone, having neither fellow-traveler in whose companionship I might find cheer, nor caravan whose party I might join, but swayed by an overmastering impulse within me, and
Al-Haramain Train enters final phase
JEDDAH —The final phase of the multibillion riyal Al-Haramain Train Project will be signed soon. This will see the purchase of 35 trains with 13 carriages, traffic signs and railway tracks, which will be installed by a Saudi-Spanish consortium. This phase will reportedly cost just over SR30 billion. It will
Umrah season to resume by end of Jan 2012
Pilgrims to leave by Muharram 15 Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) is preparing to receive a high volume of Umrah season flights for the Hijri month of Rabi’ Al-Awwal, 1433H (Jan. 24, 2012), an official at the Haj Terminal said. The last batch of Haj
What Hajj taught me (Before and After)
A Personal Account of Hajj Before: A friend and I were shopping for my sneakers. I told him that I could not walk without Caterpillar shoes. “I can run but cannot walk without feeling pain.It’s probably a varicose vein.” My friend suggested I try Adidas. We decided that I could get them
No journey like journey of faith
SHARJAH: My journey of faith is now complete. I am happy. It has left me satisfied and I am thankful to Allah for that. Going to Hajj was a dream. I am sure words will fail to express how happy, secure, tension-free I felt during the whole exercise. Almost celestial,
Birmingham travel agent jailed for Hajj pilgrimage rip-off
A BIRMINGHAM travel agent has been jailed for 15 months after he ripped off a family who paid £10,000 for a Hajj pilgrimage. Chowdhury Ahmad promised the Nooris, from Rowley Regis, five-star food and accommodation on the trip to Saudi Arabia. Instead they found themselves in a “cockroach-infested hovel” and