Jakarta Globe – The Ministry of Religious Affairs has proposed to the House of Representatives an increase in the cost of the pilgrimage to Mecca this year, due to rising prices of aviation turbine fuel, food services, and Saudi Arabia’s hajj tax, a minister said on Wednesday (24/01).
The government proposed to increase the cost by Rp 900,000 ($68), or by 2.85 percent, Religious...
Saudi Gazette – More than 2.4 million pilgrims passed through King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah since the beginning of the Umrah season, which started in November and will continue until July.
A total of 1.23 million pilgrims arrived and 1.21 million of them departed through the airport, Director General of King Abdulaziz International Airport Abdullah Al-Rimi said....
Travelweel.ca – The new King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will have its grand opening in May 2018, just in time for the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Aug. 19.
According to Abdul Hakim Al-Tamimi, head of the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), the airport’s initial opening and pilot operations will comment in May, reports Arab News. Calling it a “mega...
MSN – The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the missions of the Kingdom abroad advised that the visa should not be granted to the escorts except on separate passports for each visitor or escort. In turn, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah warned companies and institutions not to grant visas to those accompanying them except with independent passports. The Directorate General of Passports is...
Saudi Gazette – A high-level meeting was held by Haj Ministry on Sunday to discuss the implementation strategy in this regard as Kingdom is keen to integrated Haj visa system to ensure comfortable and hassle-free pilgrimage.
“We want to ensure comfortable stay of pilgrims during their pilgrimage in Kingdom starting from embarkation to visits of holy sites, performing rituals and up to...
Saudi Press Agency – The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, General Supervisor of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program for Umrah Sheikh Saleh bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh has announced kicking off the program in its third year as 220 Muslim dignitaries representing the tenth batch will arrive in Madinah.
The Minister expressed his thanks and...
Sabq Online Newspaper – The International Engineering Conference and Exhibition crowned the Ministry of Haj and Umra with the award of Innovation and Engineering Excellence 2017, through a number of its employees.
The award was organized by the Saudi Engineers Organization for the first time in the Kingdom during the period from 16 to 18 Rabi ‘Al-Awwal in Riyadh, under the slogan...
Egypt Independent – The Saudi Arabian state-run Okaz newspaper said on Friday that Saudi authorities had prohibited filming and photography in the Great Mosque of Mecca and al-Masjid al-Nabawī (the Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad), in order to maintain a holy atmosphere at the sites.
According to Okaz, Saudi authorities obliged the organizers of Hajj and Umrah, two major Muslim...
Free Malaysia today – Malaysia: Police have detained a married couple suspected of fleecing 48 people of their money meant for umrah packages, resulting in losses totaling RM356,200.
The suspects, aged 47 and 43, were nabbed on Nov 28 after their statements were recorded at the Pekan police headquarters near here.
Pahang Commercial CID chief Supt Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof said the activities...
Arab News – MAKKAH: Experts expect that the number of Umrah companies in Saudi Arabia will increase from 48 to 700 to meet the Kingdom’s vision of increasing Umrah and Hajj pilgrims to 30 million by 2030.
Marwan Shaaban, the head of the National Committee for Hajj and Umrah, said that new Umrah companies could benefit from the experiences of old ones.
Shaaban said that “the profession of...