By Wajdi Al-Qurashi / 28 Aug 2013

The structural plan for the Makkah Gate project that was recently approved by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal will be implemented in four stages over 20 years, said Osama Al-Bar, Makkah mayor and chairman of the board of directors at the Makkah Gate Company.

He said that 70 percent of the project is located inside the borders of the Grand Mosque.

“The strategy of the project will allocate a series of places to be developed independently in phases,” he added.

Source : Arab news / 26 Aug 2013

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque has organized an exhibition on the mosque’s history and expansion works as part of the ongoing celebration of Madinah as the Islamic Cultural Capital of 2013.

The items on display give an insight into the kind of expansions that the mosque underwent since its inception in the seventh century to date.

Source : AFP / 16 Aug 2013

Turkey’s clout in the Middle East is taking a beating with the brutal sidelining of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood derailing Ankara’s hopes to lead a regional surge of Islamist political power, analysts say.

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was an early supporter of the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak and subsequently nourished close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.

By Amal Al-Sibai / 5 Aug 2013

It is during the last ten days and nights of Ramadan that the Night of Power waits to descend upon Muslims with all of its beauty and enchantment. It is during this majestic night that those Muslims who were lucky enough to stand in prayer are promised rewards and bounties of good deeds and the granting of whatever they ask in humble supplication to Allah.

Source : Saudi Gazette / 31 Jul 2013

At least one in three people in Saudi Arabia watch 3 to 5 hours of television every day during Ramadan compared to an average of 2.7 hours throughout the rest of the year, according to the latest survey on Ramadan TV viewing habits conducted by OSN, the leading pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa.

Underlining the spike in television consumption during Ramadan, 33 percent of respondents said they watch television for 3 to 5 hours daily compared to 18 percent who watch 5 to 7 hours and 35 percent who watch 1 to 3 hours.

Source : Arab news / 30 Jul 2013

The Prophet’s Mosque is known the world over as the second largest mosque with its most beautiful state of the art structure.

This foundation of this mosque was laid by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in 622 CE. The original mosque was an open-air structure covered with palm fronds. It had a raised platform for the recitation of the Qur'an. It was a rectangular enclosure of 30mx35m with a roof more than 2 meters in height. It had three doors Bab Al-Rahmah, Bab Gariel, and Bab Al-Nisa.

By Yusuf Mohammed / 26 Jul 2013

A popular site for pilgrims visiting Madinah is the Friday Mosque, known as the place where the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed the first Friday prayers after his migration from Makkah.

The mosque, situated between gardens and parks, is about 500 meters from the Qubaa Mosque.

By Ali-Gomaa.com / 25 Jul 2013

Question:

I live in a country where the fasting hours exceed 18 hours and I find it exhausting to keep with these long hours of fasting. What can I do?

Source : Arab news / 15 Jul 2013

A tourism official in Makkah has confirmed that the prices of hotels have undergone radical change and returned to their normal rates.

“We have witnessed a 150-percent decline in both the prices of hotels around the Grand Mosque and suites with direct views of the Kaaba,” said Fahad Al-Wethyiani, head of the Hotels and Tourism Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Source : Arab news / 12 Jul 2013

The Women’s Charitable Society in Jeddah has organized a dates tree heritage festival at the InterContinental Hotel with the support of Princess Al-Anoud bint Abdullah bin Mohammad, wife of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.

The two-day festival, which started yesterday, presents many varities of dates that are grown in Saudi Arabia.