Under a bank of monitors broadcasting live footage from more than 5,000 cameras, Saudi officers have kept their eyes on every route and gathering spot at this year’s Haj pilgrimage. As custodians of the most sacred sites in Islam, the authorities have been at pains to assure the world that[…]
It was a busy day for pilgrims who reassembled in Mina on Monday after spending the night in Muzdalifah. They stoned Jamarat Al-Aqaba (the big Satan), slaughtered sacrificial animals, shaved hairs, and got out of the state of ihram. A large number of them headed toward the Grand Mosque for[…]
“From a journey full of hardships and difficulties to a place of worship covered with luxury.” That is how Tunisian pilgrim Salahudeen Al-Saafi described his two journeys to Haj within a time gap of 44 years. Al-Saafi is probably one of the very few people who documented his past and[…]
As the blessed month of Haj dawns upon us, hujjaaj from around the world have converged in the noble city of Makkah, awaiting their departure for the pilgrimage. To get an update on the latest developments within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, VOC spoke to Head of Mission for the[…]
Arafat Day, when Hajis stand in prayer on the plains of Arafat near Makkah at the peak of the annual pilgrimage, will be on Sunday, September 11, 2016, Sabq.org website announced on Thursday, quoting sources. It said no one sighted the new moon on Thursday evening. An authoritative statement from[…]
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has ordered that the “mataf” section of the Grand Mosque in Makkah will only be limited for circumambulation from Thursday, Aug. 25, until the end of the Haj season. Prayers can be performed in the interior hallways, the northern expansion and the upper floors of[…]
AS you near the miqat, your heart will tremble and tremor. Is this really happening? Is my heart getting closer and closer to His House? Soon you will enter Allah’s haram. It is only fitting that you enter into a state, both externally and internally, that justly corresponds to this[…]
The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIP) has dismissed any criminal motive behind the fall of the giant crane on the Grand Mosque last September, according to sources of the Summary Court in Jeddah which is trying 14 suspects in the case. Hundreds of pilgrims were killed and injured[…]
Every year a number of pilgrims face problems in locating their tents and places of accommodation in Makkah, and at the holy sites of Mina and Arafat. To solve this problem, the Pakistan Haj Volunteer Group (PHVG) and the India Fraternity Forum developed a navigation app which will work from[…]
Saudi Arabia’s new ‘post-oil’ economy plan as outlined in ‘Vision 2030’ which was announced recently, is receiving a huge boost from the tourism sector with the influx of tourists visiting the country for their hajj pilgrimage starting this week. According to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, more than 600,000[…]
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