Government | Wednesday 23 September, 2015 4:53 am

Massive changes in Mina bring cheer to pilgrims

Mina, which comes to life only once a year in Haj, is in fact a small city. As far as the eye can see, tents cover every open space. They are neatly arranged, row after row. In the sea of white, the historic Al-Khaif Mosque stands out with its brick-red minarets. The mosque is the center of...

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Government | Tuesday 22 September, 2015 5:33 am

Journey of faith: Pilgrims begin moving into Mina

As the night wore on Monday, pilgrims started filling into the tent city of Mina. They came in ones and twos, some on foot, some in wheelchairs, many in buses and SUVs arranged by the pilgrim establishments. All roads and highways from Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh, Dammam, Abha, Jazan and Taif were...

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Government | Tuesday 22 September, 2015 4:37 am

Pilgrims retrace the steps of the Prophet

Muslims performing Haj, the annual pilgrimage, will retrace the steps of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who performed the ritual more than 1400 years ago. This year, the Haj officially starts on Monday, Sept. 22, the eighth day of Dul Hijjah. Nearly two million pilgrims from around the world ...

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Government | Sunday 20 September, 2015 4:34 am

100,000 troops to secure Haj 2015

Some 100,000 security personnel have been deployed to oversee the annual Haj pilgrimage that begins on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry. Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the ministry, said among those securing the massive crowds during Haj are members of an elite...

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Government | Sunday 20 September, 2015 4:32 am

Power capacity at holy sites 18,680MW

The capacity of electricity plants at the holy sites now stands at 18,680MW, according to the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). Ziyad bin Mohammad Al-Sheiha, chief executive officer of the SEC, said that various upgrades and distribution projects have been completed to meet the expected...

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Government | Saturday 19 September, 2015 1:12 pm

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Guests Program for Haj and Umrah

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah, and Guidance has launched this year a program targeting leading Muslim figures all over the world. The program has so far hosted 500 Umrah pilgrims since the beginning of the Umrah season and intends to host another 500 more by the end of the...

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Government | Thursday 17 September, 2015 4:25 am

King tells officials to provide best services for pilgrims

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said that King Salman’s directions stipulate that all services should be deployed to bring comfort to the guests of God. He said after an inspection tour that this country will deploy all potential to provide services to Haj pilgrims under directives of the ...

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Government | Tuesday 15 September, 2015 6:53 pm

King: SR1m for family of each crane victim

 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has ordered massive payouts for the families of those killed and injured in last week’s crane crash tragedy, which claimed the lives of 111 people and injured over 238. In a royal decree on Tuesday, the king announced that there would be...

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Government | Monday 14 September, 2015 3:19 am

SR250 train ticket for pilgrims

The central management of developmental projects of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has prepared a comprehensive plan for the operation of Al-Mashaer train for Haj season, according to an online newspaper. Under the plan, 370,000 pilgrims of the country, other Gulf countries, South ...

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Government | Sunday 13 September, 2015 10:58 am

A hundred doors lead to the Prophet’s Mosque

The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah is the second holiest place of worship in Islam. Even though a pilgrimage to the mosque is not a religious obligation on Muslims, millions of them from all over the world who come to perform Haj or Umrah in Makkah annually visit Madinah to pay homage to the...

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