Saudi Arabia releases never-before-seen images of Black Stone in the Grand Mosque in Makkah

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Saudi authorities released new pictures that offer a never-before-seen close up view of the Black Stone in the Kaaba in Makkah. (SPA)
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Saudi authorities released new pictures that offer a never-before-seen close up view of the Black Stone in the Kaaba in Makkah. (SPA)
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Saudi authorities released new pictures that offer a never-before-seen close up view of the Black Stone in the Kaaba in Makkah. (SPA)
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Saudi authorities released new detailed images of Maqam e Ibrahim (Station of Abraham) in the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (Twitter/@hsharifain)
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Saudi authorities released new detailed images of Maqam e Ibrahim (Station of Abraham) in the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (Twitter/@hsharifain)
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Saudi authorities released new detailed images of Maqam e Ibrahim (Station of Abraham) in the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (Twitter/@hsharifain)
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Saudi authorities released new detailed images of Maqam e Ibrahim (Station of Abraham) in the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (Twitter/@hsharifain)
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Updated 06 May 2021
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Saudi Arabia releases never-before-seen images of Black Stone in the Grand Mosque in Makkah

  • Details of the Black Stone were captured with a new technique that uses stacked panoramic focus
  • The images were taken over seven hours and required a week to edit

RIYADH: Authorities in Saudi Arabia have released new specially processed images of the most important Islamic and archaeological sites in the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosque took 1,050 photographs of the Black Stone and the shrine of Ibrahim using Fox Stack Panorama technology, which combines images with varying degrees of clarity to produce a single accurate high-resolution picture of the Black Stone, known as Hajar Aswad in Arabic.

The 49,000-megapixel images were taken over seven hours and required a week to edit. It is the first time the authority has been able to show the Black Stone in such detail.

The authority was interested in using the latest imaging techniques because of the Black Stone’s importance to Muslims, said Sultan bin Ati Al-Qurashi, undersecretary-general for the Projects and Engineering Studies Agency at the presidency.
The reddish-black, oval-shaped stone is 30 cm in diameter and is located in the southeast corner of the Kaaba.

The stone is positioned 1.5 meters above the ground and placed inside a frame made of pure silver for protection. It is the starting and finishing point of the circumambulation.
Al-Qurashi said the authority was keen to document the Black Stone and the shrine of Ibrahim to show its technical details and engineering dimensions.
The images were printed using a 3D printer.




Saudi authorities released new pictures that offer a never-before-seen close up view of the Black Stone in the Kaaba in Makkah. (SPA)

“It is an advanced technique used for the first time in building a model that greatly simulates the shape and size of the shrine of our Prophet Ibrahim,” Al-Qurashi added.
The Projects and Engineering Studies Agency is building a virtual exhibition to display all these works in a 3D model that is considered an exact replica of the archaeological collection, and will include 123 different pieces from the Two Holy Mosques Architecture Museum.


Arab, EU diplomats arrive in Riyadh for meeting on Syria

Updated 9 sec ago
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Arab, EU diplomats arrive in Riyadh for meeting on Syria

RIYADH: An expanded ministerial meeting on Syria is hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday in the capital Riyadh as world powers push for stability after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.


KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen

Updated 12 January 2025
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KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen

RYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) continues with its humanitarian activities in Syria and Yemen with the distribution of food supplies, health kits and prosthetic services.

In the town of Beit Yashout, Jabla District of Syria’s Latakia Governorate, 499 families each received boxes containing a bag of flour as well as personal care kits on Saturday, state news agency SPA reported.

In Jindires of Aleppo Governorate, KSrelief distributed 1,476 food boxes and 1,476 health kits while in Talbiseh of Homs Governorate the aid agency on Thursday handed out to 86 families food parcels, each containing a 10-kilogram bag of flour, along with winter kits and personal care kits on Thursday.

This initiative is part of the Kingdom’s continuous humanitarian efforts, through KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people during various crises and hardships, SPA reported.

Meanwhile in Yemen, the Project for Operating Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Center in Taiz provided medical services to 434 beneficiaries who lost their limbs in December last year.

The center, being supported by KSrelief, delivered 1,613 services including the delivery, measurement and maintenance of prosthetic limbs, as well as physical therapy and specialized consultations.


UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh

Updated 11 January 2025
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UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh

  • Welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Al-Khuraiji

RIYADH: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He was welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji.

Sheikh Abdullah is in the Kingdom to attend an expanded ministerial meeting on Syria to be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday, SPA added.

New Syrian foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani also arrived in Riyadh on Saturday evening to participate in the ministerial meeting.

He was also welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Al-Khuraiji.


Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace

Updated 11 January 2025
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Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace

  • The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen attempting to storm the palace

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday strongly condemned the recent attack on the presidential palace in N’Djamena, Chad, which left 19 people dead, including a soldier guarding the complex, and injured others.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s steadfast support for Chad’s security and stability, while rejecting any actions that threaten the country’s peace, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

In its statement, the Ministry extended heartfelt condolences to the family of the fallen soldier and to the government and people of Chad. The Kingdom also wished a swift recovery for those injured in the assault.

The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen reportedly linked to Boko Haram attempting to storm the presidential palace, prompting a fierce battle.

The Chadian government confirmed that 18 attackers from a 24-member commando unit were killed in the fighting, alongside one security personnel. Tanks were deployed to secure the area.


GCC secretary general receives New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia

Updated 11 January 2025
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GCC secretary general receives New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia

  • Al-Budaiwi congratulated Kingston on his appointment as New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his duties

RIYADH: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Al-Budaiwi recently received New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Charles Kingston at the General Secretariat’s headquarters in Riyadh.

Al-Budaiwi congratulated Kingston on his appointment as New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his duties, the General Secretariat wrote in a report.

During the meeting, they also discussed a number of topics of mutual interest, notably the progress of negotiations for the free trade agreement between the GCC countries and updates on the joint action plan between the two sides. They also exchanged views on several regional and international issues.​