JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defense has announced the completion of its preparations and contingency plans to ensure the preservation of the safety of pilgrims during the 2018 Hajj season in Makkah and Madinah
The preparations for the General Emergency Plan for Hajj have been personally and continuously followed-up by the Director General of the Civil Defense Sulaiman Al-Amr, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.
The directorate pointed out that more than 18,000 civil defense officers and personnel have been mobilized, supported by more than 3,000 machines and sophisticated equipment, to provide the highest security level and minimize risks for worshipers at the Prophet’s Mosque.
The plan falls in line with the efforts of the government and King Salman, also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to protect pilgrims annually, maintain their safety and facilitating their performance of rituals.
The plan includes full readiness to deal with 13 kinds of virtual risks that may occur during Hajj, which arose through in-depth studies and workshops specialized in monitoring and analyzing risks, in light of climate changes and environmental developments. The plan includes preparing detailed scenarios for dealing with each type of risk and conducting a hypothesis experiment to measure the effectiveness of confrontational plans in practice in relevant locations in the holy city.
The potential risks of Hajj vary from season to season and if construction projects are carried out for the convenience of pilgrims, as well as annual weather changes that may coincide with the Hajj season.
Therefore, the civil defense plans accommodate all these variables to monitor and analyze the expected risks, whether natural or man-made, and then take practical measures to deal with them.
Civil defense plans for Hajj this year included some foreseeable risks, whether natural, such as “high temperatures, torrential rains, hurricanes, landslides, diseases or epidemics” or industrial, such as “fires, contaminants or the dangers of mass crowds.”
The civil defense stressed the importance of training personnel on the potential risks associated with towers and tall buildings to raise their awareness in implementing evacuation plans with the assistance of special fire teams linked to these facilities.
The plan also includes working and coordinating with other concerned authorities, such as medical teams, particularly regarding previous dangerous locations or critical places around the holy city.
The authorities in the Jamarat facility have also been assigned to deal with these risks in order to participate in transporting the injured and moving them from dangerous to safe places. Then, the civil defense, along with the Saudi Red Crescent, will coordinate with the health authorities in the field hospitals and transferred to the required places.
Sixty peak evacuation points have been allocated, monitored by an officer and groups of individuals in the event of any threat to pilgrims’ safety, stampedes, or anyone who may require medical assistance.
The Special Civil Defense Emergency Forces have a great responsibility in dealing with accidents and risks that require specialized skills, highly developed mechanisms, modernity and rapid intervention capabilities.
The Civil Defense also completed preparations for crowd management and other situations by deploying a large number of officers and individuals to deal with any emergency case on all floors and entrances of the Jamarat facility and the stone throwing walls 24 hours a day, particularly during peak times.
The civil defense forces have been provided with mechanisms and equipment to facilitate rapid responses in the event of a fire, and a number of motorcycle teams have been deployed, equipped with fire and rescue devices, which have the potential to maneuver in crowded roads and sites and narrow streets.
Makkah has been divided into the civil defense plan for the Hajj pilgrimage to several axes and covered by all civil defense services, in addition to the intensification of units, field teams and teams.
Under the plan, Makkah has been divided into several axes for the Hajj pilgrimage, covering all civil defense services, in addition to intensifying units, field teams and personnel.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense concludes contingency plans for 2018 Hajj season
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense concludes contingency plans for 2018 Hajj season
- The directorate said that more than 18,000 civil defense officers and personnel have been mobilized
- The plan includes full readiness to deal with 13 kinds of virtual risks that may occur during Hajj
UAE publishers take part in Jeddah Book Fair
- Emirati writers sign books, speak with readers
- Fair continues at the Jeddah Superdome until Dec. 21
JEDDAH: Over 20 Emirati publishing houses are taking part in the Jeddah Book Fair 2024, which features almost 1,000 publishers from 22 countries.
The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission is hosting the fair in the Jeddah Superdome until Dec. 21.
UAE publishers have made a significant presence at the fair, with publications in literature, science, children’s stories, and comics, the WAM reported.
Emirati publishers said that the Jeddah Book Fair is one of the most important events in the Arab cultural calendar, praised for its high public turnout and the diversity of publications available in fiction and self-development genres, according to WAM.
The fair includes lectures, seminars, and workshops by nearly 170 speakers, writers, and experts from Saudi Arabia and other countries.
Emirati writers signed their books and communicated directly with readers at the fair, WAM added.
The fair has also dedicated a special area for children featuring educational and interactive writing and animation industry activities.
More than 450 pavilions and a cultural program with more than 100 events have been organized as part of the fair.
It is the third book fair organized by the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission in 2024 after the Riyadh International Book Fair and Madinah Book Fair.
Madinah culinary arts club hosts Cooking Challenge 2 as part of winter events
- Event celebrated the distinctive culinary heritage of Madinah while enhancing the skills of local chefs
- Two contestants were selected to compete in preparing Madinah’s traditional kabli dish, which was judged by a panel of experts
MADINAH: The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Club in Madinah on Wednesday hosted Cooking Challenge 2 as part of its winter activities in the region.
The event celebrated the distinctive culinary heritage of Madinah while enhancing the skills of local chefs, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
From a pool of 350 club members, two contestants were selected to compete in preparing Madinah’s traditional kabli dish, which was judged by a panel of experts.
The evaluation criteria included taste, adherence to food health and safety protocols, professional safety standards, creativity and innovation, quality standards, and mastery of cooking techniques.
The challenge featured Chef Alaa Al-Ahmadi and Chef Asmaa Al-Attas with the latter emerging as the winner.
Chef Enayat Khan, head of the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Club in Madinah, explained that the club’s mission is to unite chefs in Madinah under one platform to exchange knowledge and expertise.
A key focus is preserving traditional Madinah dishes as well as Saudi cuisine as a whole.
Khan highlighted the club’s diverse pool of national talent, encompassing professionals and passionate amateurs, and expressed the club’s ambition to display Madinah’s culinary excellence on the global stage.
Chef Abdul Wahab Al-Dawi, director of public relations and marketing at the Culinary Arts Club, emphasized the richness and diversity of Saudi cuisine, shaped by the Kingdom’s geography and the integration of animal, marine, and agricultural products.
He noted that Saudi cuisine has made a notable impact at international exhibitions, reflecting its growing global recognition.
He said the club continues to host culinary events aimed at enhancing the skills of aspiring chefs, nurturing culinary talent, and discovering new creators in the Madinah region.
Saudi initiative launches pioneering care center for people with disabilities
- Integrated residential care facility is expected to serve over 280 beneficiaries annually
- Project designed to serve as model for development of similar facilities
RIYADH: A Saudi social care project worth SR83 million ($22.1 million) is set to transform support services for people with disabilities in Saudi Arabia’s Qassim Region after a trilateral agreement was signed on Thursday.
The Sakhaa Program, the Abdulaziz Al-Ohali Charitable Foundation, and the Onaizah Association for Development and Human Services, known as Taheel, have joined forces to establish an integrated residential care facility which is expected to serve over 280 beneficiaries annually, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The initiative aligns with the program’s efforts to support the community through creating sustainable development opportunities and enabling benefactors to actively participate in achieving social and economic development in the Kingdom.
Deputy Secretary-General Nasser bin Mohammed Asiri signed on behalf of the Sakhaa Program, alongside Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, chairman of the Al-Ohali Foundation’s board of trustees, and Musaad bin Yahya Al-Saleem, vice chairman of Taheel Association.
The memorandum of understanding outlines an ambitious project to establish a center that will provide a comprehensive and supportive environment to meet the needs of people with disabilities, according to the SPA.
The facility will offer integrated services, including full residential care supported by specialized rehabilitation programs, comprehensive healthcare covering both therapeutic and preventive aspects, as well as recreational and educational activities to enhance residents’ social and psychological well-being, ensuring their independence and enabling active community participation.
The project’s funding model combines government support, community contributions, and nominal fees to ensure sustainable, high-quality care delivery. Infrastructure development, equipment, and operational costs are included in the total investment.
The project is designed to serve as a model for developing similar centers in the future, the SPA added.
AI cannot replace human creativity in literature, expert says
- Dr. Anas Al-Ghamdi: Certain fields will benefit by using AI, but it cannot create great literature
- Al-Ghamdi: When you read a text translated by a machine, you feel the translator’s feelings, not the writer’s
JEDDAH: Artificial intelligence cannot replace the creativity of human beings in literature, according to an expert attending the Jeddah Book Fair 2024.
Dr. Anas Al-Ghamdi, an academic, researcher and author specializing in AI, made the statement in a discussion during a symposium titled: “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Book.”
The session was moderated by Mohammed Basalama, an entrepreneur in the cultural sector, who opened the symposium by raising a few questions about the impact of artificial intelligence in the book sector, asking: Will AI be a partner that enhances creativity or a competitor that threatens the human values of literary texts?
He mentioned the main themes of the symposium, which included: the role of AI in improving writing and publishing, its impact on literary creativity and the human value of books, as well as the ethical and legal challenges related to the ownership of produced texts, in addition to using AI as a tool to enhance innovation rather than compete with it.
Al-Ghamdi replied by saying that no doubt AI has become an integral part of life and it can provide a huge amount of information to people in no time, but it cannot create special feelings and the free flow of imagination as human authors do in their writings.
“If we do not use it, others will. Of course, certain fields will benefit by using AI, but it cannot create great literature,” he said.
Al-Ghamdi said that there is a role for AI in enhancing the work of publishing houses by improving marketing, production, and sales.
But, he said, machine translation still suffers from emotional gaps, saying: “When you read a text translated by a machine, you feel the translator’s feelings, not the writer’s.”
The symposium explored how modern technology can reshape the writing and publishing experience, emphasizing the need to use AI as a tool to support human creativity.
It also discussed the ethical and professional challenges related to the ownership of texts produced by AI, while presenting innovative visions for employing this technology to achieve a sustainable future that combines human creativity and technological innovation.
Al-Ghamdi affirmed that AI is not a substitute for human creativity, but a tool that can enrich this creativity if used properly.
European Muslims arrive in Madinah
- The Ministry of Islamic Affairs received the pilgrims, who come from 14 different countries
- The 250-strong group will visit the Prophet’s Mosque and tour historic sites
RIYADH: A new group of Muslim pilgrims arrived in the holy city of Madinah from Europe on Thursday to perform Umrah as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, which supervises the program, received the 250 visitors, who come from 14 different countries. The ministry will provide the group services during their stay.
As well as visiting the Prophet’s Mosque and Quba Mosque the pilgrims will tour historic sites including the King Fahd Glorious Qur'an Printing Complex, the Uhud Martyrs’ Cemetery, and the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization.
They will then head to the holy city of Makkah to perform Umrah rituals.
