"Makkah and Madinah News and Updates"

[Saif al-Arab]

Is there any arrangement or plans to facilitate elderly people and women to reach Hajar e Aswad? It's mission impossible even for young men.

Yes, there are wheelchairs available and local guards will pick up children and elders if they want to kiss the kaaba.

There is also this (don't know the English word for it) white plateau above the Kaaba that can be used instead. After all it is not logistically possible for every pilgrim to reach the Kaaba at the same time.

There are guides who speak fluent Urdu and information is available in Urdu and most other languages. From Hausa to Indonesian. If experiencing any challenge or problem they should contact volunteers or workers which are working 24/7 and whose job is to serve pilgrims.

There are some 10.000 staff at all times (guards, people controlling the flow of pilgrims etc.) and 30.000 medical practitioners.

BTW they will most likely travel in a group with their own countrymen and such a group usually have their own guides etc. as well that will help too. People who have visited before and know how it is and what to do.

Sometimes foreigners (if they want to of course) are picked up by local Makkawis who will let them stay at their own house for free so they will get an authentic experience of how it was in the old days and be introduced to local Makkawi cuisine, traditions, habits surrounding the pilgrimage etc.

Special guest get to experience this. "Personal" guests of the King too. This is most often orphans from across the world, Gazans, Iraqis from Mosul recently, Syrians, people from Sinai, Afghanistan etc. and people that "deserve it". Harder for the average Western Muslim to experience this though. It's mostly reserved for the less fortunate. It's a very good and commendable practice if you ask me.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

@LoveIcon

Soldiers are also involved (security), police, firemen and everything that you can think about. They are all there.

Plenty of female volunteers as well. Usually students but not only.

It is a huge logistic challenge when you think about it. We are proud of everyone that is involved. From the kid to the elder.

So every time that I read propaganda online and absurd talk of "KSA not doing anything at all to serve pilgrims" I always laugh and ask myself, what do those ignorant trolls know about the ground realities and the constant 24/7 challenges that are faced head on?

 

[Sugarcane]

@LoveIcon

Soldiers are also involved (security), police, firemen and everything that you can think about. They are all there.

Plenty of female volunteers as well. Usually students but not only.

It is a huge logistic challenge when you think about it. We are proud of everyone that is involved. From the kid to the elder.

So every time that I read propaganda online and absurd talk of "KSA not doing anything at all to serve pilgrims" I always laugh and ask myself, what do those ignorant trolls know about the ground realities and the constant 24/7 challenges that are faced head on?

I have been there for Omrah last year, I have experienced lot of facilitates but Hajj is altogether different. Nice to hear that efforts are being made to make it safe and comfortable

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Wonderful documentary called One Day in the Haram.

There are English and French subtitles. One just needs to activate them.

2 million views.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

King Salman orders hosting 1,000 pilgrims from Palestine

A general view of the Holy Kaaba’s Kiswa, the Qibla for millions of Muslim pilgrims from all around the globe. (SPA)

Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Friday, 10 August 2018

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued a royal decree on Thursday, ordering the hosting of 1,000 pilgrims, males and females from Palestinian martyrs’ families during the Hajj season this year.

Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, Sheikh Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, who heads the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Hosting Program for Pilgrimage, confirmed that the royal decree comes in the context of the continued support and the keen interest of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Palestinian cause and his appreciation of the great sacrifices made by the Palestinian people.

He pointed out that the Palestinian people deserve all support and appreciation in their struggle to regain their legitimate rights and to preserve the first Muslim Qibla, in reference to Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem.

With SPA

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/Ne...lgrims-from-Palestinian-martyrs-families.html

Guarding the Black Stone

August 7, 2018

A guard organizes pilgrims striving to kiss the Black Stone on a corner of the Holy Kaaba in Makkah on Tuesday.

The guards of the Black Stone are changed every hour to maintain the high level of alertness, strength and focus required to deal with the huge rush of pilgrims and visitors.

The guard also alerts his colleagues in case a pilgrim faints or falls from exhaustion.

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/5...he-Black-Stone

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php...newsid=1794303

Hajj Hackathon Enters Guinness World Records with Largest Number of Developers

Thursday, 2 August, 2018 - 10:30

The Hajj Hackathon enters the Guinness World Records with the largest number of developers.

Asharq Al-Awsat

The Jeddah-hosted Hajj Hackathon entered the Guinness World Records for attracting the largest number of developers in the world, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday.

The event, organized by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, attracted 2,950 participants, breaking the previous record of 2,577 held by India since 2012.

Advisor at the Royal Court and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federation Saud bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani extended his thanks and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, for supporting Saudi youth in all fields.

He said: ''The Kingdom's entry into the world records confirms the youth’s aspirations to transform their country into the gateway of technology in the region.”

This transformation is in line with Vision 2030, which aims to achieve a qualitative leap in all aspects of life in the Kingdom, he added.

Qahtani received the Guinness Records Certificate from the Guinness World Records' Arbitrator Ahmed Jabr at 7:00 am on Thursday.

The entry in the Guinness World Records is a great success for the Hajj Hackathon, which was holding its inaugural session in Jeddah. The event has attracted male and female developers from all over the world, including Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf region.

Google also supported the event and held several training workshops.

The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones has allocated prizes and funding, worth SR2 million, for participating projects in order to transform their ideas into reality. The first place winner will receive SR1 million, second place receives SR500,000 and third SR350,000, while SR150,000 will recognize excellence.

Competitions in the event include the sectors surrounding the Hajj season, its services and challenges, including food and beverage, public health, financial solutions, transportation, crowd management, traffic control, travel and accommodation arrangements, waste management, housing and communication solutions.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/art...nness-world-records-largest-number-developers

Saudi women’s team sweeps first prize of $266,000 in Hajj Hackathon

Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Friday, 3 August 2018

The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, announced on Friday evening the winner of the first prize of the final competition in the Hajj Hackathon which went to the Saudi women’s team of “Turjaman” which means Translator, taking the prize of $266,000.

The team developed an application which translates road direction signs in different languages for the pilgrims from around the world, without the need to connect to the Internet through QR code scanning.

The second prize of $133,000 went to the team which developed an application dedicated for “Hajj Wallet.”

The three-day Hajj Hackathon event was held at the Jeddah Exhibition and Event Center f from August 1 to 3, recording significant presence of Saudi women as well as software developers and information-technology enthusiasts from more than 100 countries.

The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones allocated $533,000 in prizes divided into mainly three categories, where the first prize is worth $266,000, second prize $133,000, the third prize $93,000 while a prize of $39,000 goes for distinction.

The competition in the event included sectors surrounding the Hajj season, its services and challenges, including food and beverages, public health, financial solutions, transportation, crowd management, traffic control, travel and accommodation arrangements, waste and waste management, housing and communication solutions. READ MORE

One of the participating groups in the “Technical challenge”, is a Japanese team of youths who attracted a lot of attention, not only for their known enthusiasm for tech, but also for their inclusive spirit by adapting to the Saudi culture and dressing in the Saudi national outfit.

Last Update: Friday, 3 August 2018 KSA 22:36 - GMT 19:36

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/fea...first-prize-of-Hajj-Hackathon-of-233-000.html

Apple, Wikipedia founders among speakers at Saudi Hajj Hackathon

Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, spoke during the Hackathon in Jeddah. (Supplied)

Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Saudi Arabia is currently hosting the largest Hackathon in the Middle East with the participation of thousands of developers and innovators from more than 100 countries during a three-day event.

Among the prominent entrepreneurs who participated in the several discussion panels is Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, and Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple.

During his talk, Wales said that he was honored to be part of such an event and happy to see the large crowd of innovators in attendance. The main theme of his talk was about the key to being successful, which he said that it is knowing that “it is okay to fail”.

Saudi Arabia is currently hosting the largest Hackathon in the Middle East with the participation of thousands of developers and innovators from more than 100 countries during a three-day event.

Among the prominent entrepreneurs who participated in the several discussion panels is Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, and Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple.

During his talk, Wales said that he was honored to be part of such an event and happy to see the large crowd of innovators in attendance. The main theme of his talk was about the key to being successful, which he said that it is knowing that “it is okay to fail”.

https://twitter.com/SAFCSP?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1024434818178797569&ref_url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2018/08/01/Apple-Wikipedia-founders-among-speakers-at-Saudi-Hajj-Hackathon.html

“This event is one of the most important things for a country that has great ambition to become the gateway to technology in the Middle East,” he said.

Wales added that one of the smart things about the effectiveness of this event is that it centers around improving the experience of millions of pilgrims through ideas and innovation.

The Hajj Hackathon, organized by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, held an opening ceremony on Tuesday to continue the efforts of Saudi Arabia to serve the guests of Mecca and take advantage of the young talents, while highlighting women’s participation in the exploration and development of Hajj technology.




The cyber federation said it aims to attract leading minds in the field of programming to innovate technology solutions that contribute to enriching and improving pilgrims’ experience.

Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, said that success is not about imitating others but about innovation and the creation and development of ideas, and that for private enterprise to succeed, you have to work hard and “you must love what you do.”

“You must have motivation, inspiration that you are going to have a product that’s going to help change people’s lives, give them a better life, give them easier lives,” Wozniak said.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1024434383690850304

The opening ceremony included a dialogue session entitled “Saudi Arabia, the emerging technology portal.”

The first edition of “Hackathon of Hajj” attracts developers from countries, including the Kingdom, the Gulf States and the world. More than 20,000 people have been registered, 3,000 of whom have been selected to participate. Google has supported the event and has held several workshops for participants.

The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones has allocated prizes for this event and funding for participants projects amounting to SR2 million, in order to transform participants’ ideas into projects. The prize was divided into three: the first place is SR 1 million, while the second winner receives SR 500,000 and the third is SR 350,000, while SR 150,000 goes for excellence.

Competition in the event includes the sectors surrounding the Hajj season, its services and challenges, including food and beverages, public health, financial solutions, transportation, crowd management, traffic control, travel and accommodation arrangements, waste and waste management, housing and communication solutions.

- With SPA

Last Update: Wednesday, 1 August 2018 KSA 16:42 - GMT 13:42

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/bus...s-among-speakers-at-Saudi-Hajj-Hackathon.html

Fantastic stuff.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1026458867352383489

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Makkah governor thanks everyone who helped make Hajj 2018 a success​

ARAB NEWS
August 24, 2018

• More than 250,000 workers, including 32,000 from the health industry provided services to the pilgrims

JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal thanked King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Interior Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif for supervising this year’s Hajj season.

During the concluding press conference for this year’s Hajj, which was held in Mina on Thursday, Prince Khaled also thanked the media who covered the season, as well as those who contributed to serving the pilgrims.

He said that the number of workers providing services to the pilgrims exceeded 250,000 people.

Prince Khaled said that the holy sites’ train transported 360,000 pilgrims, while 18,000 buses transported 1,800,000 pilgrims.

He said that the health sector deployed 32,000 health practitioners. As many as 25 hospitals and 135 health centers with a capacity of 5,000 beds were available in Makkah and the holy sites to serve pilgrims.

He also said that the electric load capacity reached 17,791MW, while 40,000,000 cubic meters of water were pumped in Makkah and the holy sites. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs provided its services through 32,000 engineers, supervisors and cleaners.

With regard to women’s rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Khaled said Islam always urged Muslims to appreciate women and that their rights guaranteed by Islam should be given to them.

He also affirmed that moderation is an Islamic vision emerging from Islam and its teachings and that the leader of moderation in the Kingdom was King Salman.

Regarding some media reports claiming that Saudi Arabia banned Qatari nationals from performing Hajj rituals, Prince Khaled said that Saudi Arabia had announced its willingness to receive pilgrims from any country.

Qatar was called upon to allow its citizens to perform Hajj rituals. The king said that planes could be sent to transport Qatari pilgrims but Qatar prevented its citizens from performing Hajj rituals. However, those who managed to arrive in the Kingdom were welcomed and were now performing Hajj rituals.

He said that the number of Iranian pilgrims in this year’s Hajj season reached 86,000.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1361126

Hajj season epidemic-free, says health minister

1.6 million pilgrims were medically screened at entry points. (SPA)

ARAB NEWS
August 23, 2018

JEDDAH: The current Hajj season has been epidemic-free after a large-scale program of health screening and vaccination of pilgrims was carried out, said Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.
He revealed that 1.6 million pilgrims were medically screened at entry points. A further 360,000 Saudi pilgrims were vaccinated against polio and 480,000 Saudi pilgrims were vaccinated against seasonal flu and meningitis.
The ministry provided pilgrims with health care through 25 hospitals with a total capacity of 5,000 beds, 155 primary care centers and 180 ambulances in addition to mobile clinics and field hospitals.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1361046/saudi-arabia

https://twitter.com/x/status/1032603208634576896

https://twitter.com/x/status/1031801120946049024

https://twitter.com/x/status/1031614554793541632

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

In the vicinity of Makkah and Madinah there is almost every imaginable landscape available. A stunning coastline along the tropical Red Sea, 100's of islands in the vicinity, beautiful mountain ranges, greenery, numerous ancient towns and heritage sites, World UNESCO Heritage sites, villages with beautiful traditional architecture, one of the largest cities in the Muslim world (Jeddah), all kinds of desert (mountainous, rocky, hilly, lowland, "fertile"), steppe, untouched nature in abundance and great geographic distances, one of the largest volcanic areas in the world etc.

A few examples from Hijaz:

Ardhyat is a small town located in the Makkah region

Ancient village:



Coastline:

Ancient Al-Ula:



Mada'in Saleh:

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

Since KSA has finally allowed tourism visas and tourism having the potential to be an important industry in the future my previous post and this one are posted in order to show what one can see in the vicinity of Makkah and Madinah (all in Hijaz alone).

Mentioned volcanoes in the previous post as one of the things to see. Much of Hijaz is actually volcanic soil and although all the volcanoes are dormant and the last eruption occurred centuries ago this has obviously impacted the landscape of some areas of Hijaz.

The story of the famous volcano in Saudi Arabia near the Prophet’s (saws) Mosque

The Medina region has the largest shares of these volcanic nests and craters with black rocks. (Supplied)

Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Tuesday, 30 May 2017

Saudi Arabia stretches over 2,000 dormant volcanoes for thousands of years. They are not dead and have caused throughout their long history 13 main eruptions of lava.

The Medina region has the largest shares of these volcanic nests and craters with black rocks. The last volcanic eruption was in Hijaz, southeast of Medina in 1256. The eruption and flow took several days and the lava expanded over 23 kilometers. The longest flow of lava was 8.2 km away from the mosque of the Holy Prophet.

Mount al-Qadar is located in the center of the Khyber tract. It is an extinct volcanic mountain with a height of more than 2,000 meters above sea level. It is a rugged area, on which it is difficult to walk. The crater of Mount al-Qadr is very deep and has large cavities. Those who climb Mount al-Qadr will notice the spread of the lava over more than 50 kilometers.

Near the crater of Mount al-Qadr, you can find the crater of Mount al-Abyad volcano. It has a strange color and assorted formations and it is one of the most famous geological landmarks in the region.

Near the Taif, there is one of the deepest volcanic craters in Saudi Arabia and its depth reaches 240 meters with a diameter of more than 2,500 meters.

Saudi Arabia is a main destination for geologists with its large and prominent volcanoes having unique formations and craters. It has more than 2000 volcanic craters, some of which are among the most beautiful volcanic craters in the world.



According to the Geology Professor at King Saud University, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Laaboun, the volcanic craters in Saudi Arabia are among the most beautiful craters in the world; they represent important sites for those who are interested in geology, for tourists and researchers as well.

Last Update: Tuesday, 30 May 2017 KSA 16:49 - GMT 13:49

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/fe...no-in-Saudi-Arabia-near-the-Prophet-tomb.html

A few more of the 2000 dormant volcanoes in KSA. Almost all of them are located in Hijaz.


Albida Volcano, Kybar, saudi Arabia by Abdullah Alturaigy, on Flickr


Volcano Madina Saudi Arabia by Abdullah Alturaigy, on Flickr







A informative article about volcanoes in KSA:

http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200602/volcanic.arabia.htm

abal Abyad, 2093 meter tall volcano:

Lava flows around Shuwaymis




BTW Ahmad al-Balawi has filmed tons of amazing videos of areas in KSA. Can be seen below.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZDo5DA7n6pIrt-olihf3w/videos

Example:

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

King Salman orders Saudi Arabia to host 1,000 Hajj pilgrims from Palestinian ‘martyr families’

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1522106/saudi-arabia


Makkah Route initiative success opens way for Hajj pilgrims

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1522336/saudi-arabia

 

[Indos]

@Al Watan Al Arabi

I follow this group at Facebook, he has a very good photo and video on both Makkah and Madinah.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Masjidalharam/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1159889961719439360

https://twitter.com/x/status/1159699348906622982

Rainfall currently in Makkah.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1160208915289841664

https://twitter.com/x/status/1160214763667906572

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1160333004218281984

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1161279790957178880

 

[dBSPL]

May Allah(c.c.) accept the worship of all our pilgrims.

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

Saudi Arabia re-operates high-speed train

450km-long service links Makkah and Madina

Published: December 11, 2019 19:34 Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent

The Haramin train in a photo released by the official Saudi news agency SPA.Image Credit:
Cairo: Saudi authorities on Wednesday re-operated a high-speed rail service, more than two months after it was halted due to a blaze, an official statement said.

On September 29, a fire broke out at a station in the western city of Jeddah, partially damaging the facility and grounding the service to a halt.

The service, launched last year, connects Makkah and Madina via Jeddah.

On Wednesday, the service, officially known as the Haramain Train, resumed from the station of the New King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah to Madina. The journeys between Makkah and Madina are expected to resume next week.

The 99,000-square-metre station linked to the New King Abdul Aziz Airport can accommodate about 3,205 passengers per hour, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported.


A journey on the train covers 450 kilometres between Makkah and Madina and takes two hours. The project, the kingdom’s hugest public transport facility, aims to carry 60 million passengers annually and cope with the growing numbers of Muslim pilgrims flocking to Islam’s holiest sites there.

https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-re-operates-high-speed-train-1.68421849

Jeddah KAIA Station