Source : Saudigazette.com.sa / 12 Mar 2013

Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, is scheduled to launch today (Tuesday) festivities to celebrate Madinah as the new capital of Islamic culture. Prominent Muslim scholars, historians and intellectuals will be in attendance at the festivities which will continue for a whole year.

The idea to choose a city in the Arab and Islamic World to be the capital of Islamic culture for a year on a rotational basis was introduced by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) in 2005.

By Mohammed Al Khan / 11 Mar 2013

The UAE celebrated its 33rd Plantation Week with the opening and commissioning of 25 new parks last week.

New spaces include Al Hubab Park and Al Warqa 2 Park in Dubai, with more parks planned for Mohammed bin Zayed City, Al Shahama and Khalifa City B in the capital.

But you don't have to wait for those to open to soak in the open air. Here are 10 of The National's favourite places to go alfresco.

By Md Al-Sulami / 11 Mar 2013

More than 550,000 young Saudi men and women are expected to participate in the third edition of Makkah Youth Forum 2013, which was launched here yesterday by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.

“Youths are makers of the future and it is our duty to prepare them to carry out this mission properly,” the governor said while highlighting the annual forum’s importance.

Source : Arab news / 4 Mar 2013

The Jeddah Islamic Port ranks among the top 100 global ports annually. In fact, the establishment of an integrated project will ensure the presence of a security system that fills any gaps or security breaches at a financial cost of SR 15.98 million. Capt. Saher bin Musa Altahlawi, general manager of the Jeddah Islamic Port, confirmed that the port entered the competition more than a decade ago and became classified as a regional and global hub port, as well as assuming a high ranking position among the most important 100 international ports annually.

Source : Gulfnews.com / 26 Feb 2013

The JW Marriott brand officially opened the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai on Tuesday.

Acquiring the coveted title of World’s Tallest hotel from the Guinness Book of World Records, the 72-storey property is the first JW Marriott Marquis outside of North America and the 59th addition to the brand’s global luxury portfolio.

A host of international VIPs, including Marriott International’s President & CEO Arne Sorenson are in Dubai this week for the official unveiling.

By Mirza Baig / 19 Feb 2013

1. Al Haram Mosque, Mecca, Saudi Arabia:

Al Haram mosque is the largest mosque in the world.The mosque located in the city of Mecca, around the Ka’aba, where Muslims pray toward it. The mosque is considered the holiest place on Earth by Muslims. The mosque is also known as the biggest Mosque. Current structure covers an area of 400,800 square meters (99.0 acres), including outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 4 million people during the period of the Hajj, one of the largest annual worship of the Muslim in the world.

Source : Presstv / 5 Feb 2013

The seventh edition of Fajr International Poetry Festival has kicked off in the Iranian southern island of Kharg located in the Persian Gulf.

A number of cultural officials and literary scholars attended the opening ceremony held in Kharg island today, February 5.

Over 2000 poets from Iran and 15 other countries have taken part in this year’s literary event to vie in six different sections, said the festival’s Secretary General Reza Hamidi.

By Al Arabiya / 31 Dec 2012

While building a new border check post in the northern coastal Aswad province of Oman, the squad of Royal Oman Police (ROP) discovered ancient artifacts, settlements and tombs dating back to 2000 BC.

Once the ROP team reported the discovery of the ancient graves in Aswad’s Shinas town, the crew of Sultan Qaboos University graduates and trained Omani archeologists began exploring the location, Gulf News reported on Monday.

by Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood /www.islamfortoday.com

How can anyone justify Islam's treatment of women, when it imprisons Afghans under blue shuttlecock burqas and makes Pakistani girls marry strangers against their will? How can you respect a religion that forces women into polygamous marriages, mutilates their genitals, forbids them to drive cars and subjects them to the humiliation of "instant" divorce? In fact, none of these practices are Islamic at all.