On Monday, the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Makkah Metro rail service will begin operations. It will operate non-stop for seven days from 4am beginning 7 Thul hijjah (Sept 21) to 13 Thul hijjah, to transport the more than three million haj pilgrims between Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafah, which are among the[…]
Egyptian authorities have opened the Rafah border crossing from one side on Thursday as an exception to receive pilgrims from the families of Palestinian martyrs travelling from the Gaza Strip to Saudi Arabia, MENA reported. About 500 people from the families of Palestinians who lost their lives in the Gaza[…]
Clean-up operations are on-going at the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, following Friday’s tragic accident in which a crane collapsed on a section of the iconic mosque, killing 107 pilgrims. While movement has been restricted, authorities in the Saudi Kingdom have vowed that the haj pilgrimage will go on as per[…]
A South African man who escaped with his life after a crane crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque has spoken about how his fellow pilgrims died after they were hit by steel sheets just after prayers on Friday afternoon. Reliving the trauma, Ikraam Karodia told City Press that he and five[…]
The Health Ministry has issued several tips for Haj pilgrims including food preparation, nutrition, taking prescribed medication on time, and getting proper rest. The aim is to ensure that pilgrims perform their rituals safely and avoid being infected with various diseases including Ebola and MERS. The ministry’s nutrition department stated[…]
Ramadaan has always been a peak season in terms of South Africans visiting the holy lands for umrah, but 2015 has seen something of a decrease in numbers undertaking the journey. The holy cities have historically been flooded with pilgrims during the fasting period, where many choose to spend the[…]
Gaironiesa Foundation director Shahied Stakala appeared before the Athlone Magistrates Court on Wednesday where the case was postponed to the 1st December 2014. According to the presiding judge, the matter will soon move to a commercial court for further ruling. Stakala sat in the front dock as aggrieved mu’tamireen waited for[…]
The Saudi authorities, whose meticulously designed and flawless Haj operation plan has yielded an outstanding outcome, won accolades from senior diplomats representing Haj missions of various countries as well as pilgrims. They said that the Kingdom alone can undertake such a huge crowd management mechanism in a superb and extremely[…]
More than two million pilgrims performed the most important rite of Haj on Friday as they stood in prayer from dawn to dusk on the plains of Arafat, 15 km east of Makkah. A white sea of the faithful surged to Mount Arafat as dawn broke on the second leg[…]
The Ministry of Haj has warned pilgrims against the dangers of being exposed to sun especially during midday and in a crowd, saying that it could lead to heatstroke. It also urged pilgrims to use umbrellas and masks as part of precautionary measures, the Saudi Press Agency reported. According to the[…]
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