JEDDAH: King Salman has sent a letter of thanks to Interior Minister and President of the Higher Hajj Council Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif in response to his letter to the king on the success of the current Hajj season.
In his letter, King Salman said that he received Prince Abdul Aziz’s letter which concerned the success of the season where the number of pilgrims increased by 26 percent and it was free from any epidemic diseases.
King Salman also expressed thanks to Allah for the success of the season and the favorable responses they have received from pilgrims and officials of different countries for the facilities and services, and safety, security, health and organizational aspects.
The king also thanked Allah for being honored to serve the Two Holy Mosques, pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors.
He also expressed thanks to the minister, regional governors and all personnel of the military, civilian, and private sectors for their efforts which allowed the pilgrims to perform their rituals easily and comfortably.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, also sent a cable of thanks to Prince Abdul Aziz on the occasion of his congratulations to the crown prince on the success of the Hajj season.
In the cable, the crown prince praised the Hajj efforts and the success of the season.
Later, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, adviser to King Salman, governor of Makkah region and chairman of the Central Hajj Committee, congratulated King Salman on the success of this year’s Hajj.
“I am pleased to convey to you the highest congratulations and blessings on the occasion of the success of this year’s Hajj season, thanks to Allah Almighty and your generous care, attention and follow-up, enabling the pilgrims to perform their rituals with ease, comfort and assurance, and thanks to the provision of physical and human potential, capabilities and services in all the government, security and private sectors, and the upgrading of the level of services offered to more than 2 million pilgrims, since their arrival until the safe return to their homelands,” Prince Khaled said in his letter to the king.
Prince Khaled also sent two similar cables of congratulations to the crown prince and Prince Abdul Aziz.
Meanwhile. the guests of the King Salman for Hajj and Umrah program have concluded their Hajj rituals and are headed for Madinah.
King Salman, crown prince thank Interior Ministry for successful Hajj
King Salman, crown prince thank Interior Ministry for successful Hajj
Saudi aid agency and UK government sign $10m agreement for cholera response in Yemen
- KSrelief will provide $5m to the WHO, while the UK government will provide a further $5m to the UN Children’s Fund
- An estimated 3.5m people will benefit from the deal to fund a wide range of disease management and prevention services
LONDON: Saudi aid agency KSrelief and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Monday signed an agreement to expand cholera response efforts in Yemen, potentially benefiting an estimated 3.5 million people.
KSrelief will provide $5 million to the World Health Organization, while the UK government will provide a further $5 million to the UN Children’s Fund. The money will help support emergency cholera-response activities in Yemen’s worst-affected provinces.
The WHO will deliver a range of services to tackle cholera, including leadership and coordination expertise, disease surveillance, rapid-response teams, and management of cases. KSrelief will assist these efforts through infection-prevention and control efforts, water sanitation and hygiene improvements, risk communication, community engagement, and oral cholera-vaccination campaigns.
The UK funding will be used to tackle water sanitation, hygiene, and health interventions in the most contaminated and high-risk areas.
The agreement was signed in London by Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of KSrelief, and Jenny Chapman, minister of state for international development at the Foreign Office, during the former’s official visit to the UK.
Saudi interior ministry announces penalties for unauthorized Hajj Pilgrims and facilitators
- Penalties will apply from Tuesday until approximately June 10
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has announced penalties for individuals who violate Hajj permit regulations and those who facilitate such violations.
The ministry said the following penalties would apply from Tuesday until approximately June 10.
A fine of up to SR20,000 ($5,331.43) will be imposed on individuals caught performing or attempting to perform Hajj without a permit, and on holders of all types of visit visas who attempt to enter or stay in Makkah city and the holy sites during the specified period.
A fine of up to SR100,000 will also be imposed on anyone who applies for a visit visa for an individual who has performed or attempted to perform Hajj without a permit, or who has entered or stayed in Makkah city and the holy sites during the specified period. The fine will multiply for each individual involved.
The same fine will apply to anyone who transports or attempts to transport visit visa holders to Makkah city and the holy sites during the specified period, as well as to those who shelter or attempt to shelter visit visa holders in any accommodation, including hotels, apartments, private housing, shelters, or housing sites for Hajj pilgrims.
This includes concealing their presence or providing assistance that enables their stay. The fine will multiply for each individual sheltered, concealed, or assisted.
A separate penalty would also apply to illegal infiltrators attempting to perform Hajj, whether residents or overstayers, and the guilty parties would be deported to their countries and banned from entering the Kingdom for ten years.
Lastly, the ministry said the relevant court will be requested to confiscate land vehicles used to transport visit visa holders to Makkah city and the holy sites during the specified period, if owned by the transporter, facilitator, or any accomplices.
Turning a dream into reality: retired Saudi teacher copies Qur’an by hand in inspiring journey
- Al-Zahrani shared with Arab News that the experience was both demanding and humbling, requiring exceptional precision and unwavering concentration, as copying the Qur’an allowed no margin for error
MAKKAH: In an era of rapid technological change and evolving traditions, some individuals still embody steadfast devotion to craftsmanship and the quiet power of creativity.
Among them is retired teacher Khaled Al-Zahrani, who turned his retirement into a journey of fulfillment by realizing a dream he had cherished since his college days — copying the entire Holy Qur’an by hand in his own script.
Al-Zahrani, who is nearly 60, has a lifelong passion for Arabic calligraphy, especially the naskh and ruq’ah scripts. He had dreamed of hand-copying the Holy Qur’an since his university days. However, the demands of work and daily life postponed his ambition until retirement gave him the opportunity to finally turn his dream into reality.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Al-Zahrani shared with Arab News that the experience was both demanding and humbling, requiring exceptional precision and unwavering concentration, as copying the Qur’an allowed no margin for error.
• He explained that the experience strengthened his bond with the Qur’an, deepening his connection to its message while instilling a profound sense of responsibility toward the sanctity of the words he transcribed.
He explained that his journey truly began when a friend introduced him to the Qur’an by Hand initiative, which provides blank copies of the Qur’an for personal transcription. Inspired, he purchased two copies and embarked on his endeavor.
Al-Zahrani shared with Arab News that the experience was both demanding and humbling, requiring exceptional precision and unwavering concentration, as copying the Qur’an allowed no margin for error.
He carefully transcribed around two or two-and-a-half pages each day, meticulously counting the letters to ensure a balanced layout and to avoid omitting any verses.
He began with Surah Al-Zalzalah as a test of his abilities and, upon completing it, he gained the confidence to move forward, despite the profound sense of awe he felt when starting the lengthy Surah Al-Baqarah.
Al-Zahrani said that he relied on a standard half-millimeter pen and used an eraser or a fine needle to make corrections when needed, although he was meticulous to minimize errors as much as possible.
He explained that he had to devote himself fully to this work, so he decided to seclude himself in his home for six months — avoiding all distractions and social visits — so that he could finish writing the Holy Qur’an in conditions that would help him concentrate and achieve his goal.
Al-Zahrani said that his project remained out of the public eye until a relative filmed him writing and posted the video in a family WhatsApp group. The video quickly went viral, drawing widespread admiration and attention.
He added that while he received numerous requests for media interviews, he chose to delay them until he had fully completed the Qur’an, emphasizing that a task of such significance required unwavering focus and could not afford any distractions.
Al-Zahrani said that his transcription of the Qur’an was far more than an artistic pursuit or personal project: It was a profound spiritual journey that drew him into deep contemplation of God’s verses and their meanings. Every letter he penned resonated within him, as if he were living and interacting with the words themselves.
He explained that the experience strengthened his bond with the Qur’an, deepening his connection to its message while instilling a profound sense of responsibility toward the sanctity of the words he transcribed.
He also expressed the hope that his work would inspire younger generations to reconnect with the art of Arabic calligraphy, not simply as an aesthetic pursuit but as a powerful means of drawing closer to and honoring the Qur’an.
Al-Zahrani believes that his experience taught him profound lessons in patience and perseverance, calling it one of the most meaningful chapters of his life.
He expressed hope that his story would inspire others with long-delayed dreams to take the first step toward realizing them, no matter how late it may seem, proving that with sincere determination, dreams can indeed become reality.
Saudi project clears 1,488 Houthi mines in Yemen
- The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada
RIYADH: Members of Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam removed 1,488 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week.
The total included 1,437 unexploded ordnances, 46 anti-tank mines, three anti-personnel mines and two explosive devices, according to a recent report.
Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said that 490,144 mines have been cleared since the project began in 2018.
The explosives were planted indiscriminately and posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.
The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.
The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
Teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.
Huge ‘800-year-old’ coral colony identified in Red Sea
- The discovery, off the northwestern coast of Saudi Arabia, is said to be one of the largest of its kind in the world
- It is expected to become a carefully managed tourist attraction for visitors to the Red Sea Global resort of Amaala
JEDDAH: A massive Pavona coral colony has been discovered in the Red Sea, off the northwestern coast of Saudi Arabia. The largest of its kind ever identified in the waters, it is expected to become a tourist attraction at the nearby Red Sea Global resort of Amaala.
This standalone colony — in contrast to a much larger reef, which is made up of many individual colonies — was described as one of the most significant environmental discoveries in the region and, although an exact size was not immediately given, it was said to rival the world’s largest-known individual coral colony, which is in the Pacific Ocean, covers an area of 32 meters by 34 meters and is 5.5 meters high.
Red Sea Global told Arab News it will offer visitors to the Amaala resort the chance to view the colony in a secure and environmentally responsible way that ensures it is properly protected and minimizes effects on the local ecosystem.
Ahmad Al-Ansary, the organization’s head of environmental protection and regeneration, told Arab News that “a discovery of this magnitude underscores both the Red Sea’s environmental importance and its natural beauty.”
FASTFACT
The discovery, off the northwestern coast of Saudi Arabia, is said to be one of the largest of its kind in the world.
Estimating the age of the colony poses a technical challenge because of the limited growth-rate data for this species of coral in the Red Sea. Based on its size, comparative growth rates from Pacific specimens, and photogrammetry techniques that create 3D models from two-dimensional images, conservative estimates put its age at between 400 and 800 years old. Red Sea Global and KAUST said they were carrying out additional research and will refine the estimate.
“These giant coral formations act as ‘time capsules,’ preserving critical data on past climate conditions and helping us anticipate future environmental challenges,” he added.
He went on to say that studying this colony will be essential for safeguarding coral reefs in the Red Sea and around the globe.
Red Sea coral ecosystems are among the hardiest in the world, genetically adapted to relatively high temperatures and salinity, and researchers said they will continuously monitor the colony to understand the nature of its resilience.
Ronda Sokka, a marine scientist at Red Sea Global and a co-discoverer of the colony, described it as “a natural treasure whose incredible hardiness in harsh conditions is truly rare.”
Her colleague Sylvia Yagerous said that mapping and documenting such large colonies is a core objective of the “Map the Giants” project, which aims to record all coral formations worldwide exceeding five meters in size. The latest find is the second giant colony documented by Red Sea Global in recent months.
