Source : Arabian Business / 04 Mar 2014

The second tower at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, the world’s tallest hotel, is now open, with 294 new rooms bringing the total room count in the hotel to 1098.

The hotel, which opened 804 rooms in Tower 1 in November 2012, will offer 1608 rooms across the two towers when complete.

By Irfan Mohammed / Arab news / 27 Feb 2014

A temporary air conditioning facility is going to be provided for visiting pilgrims in the old part of the grand mosque area where expansion work is taking place. This is in view of the rising temperatures and the increasing number of pilgrims to the grand mosque.

The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs is executing a plan to provide a temporary cooling facility to worshippers in the Ajyad area of the grand mosque in three phases, said Ahmed Al Mansuri of the Presidency of Two Holy Mosques affairs.

Source : Hurriyet Daily News / 26 Feb 2014

Standards across the country are uneven when it comes to the restoration of historic buildings, the head of Turkey’s foundations umbrella organization has said.

Adnan Ertem, the head of Turkey’s General Directorate of Foundations (VGM), said restorations in Istanbul outranked Turkey’s other cities in terms of quality.

Source : Saudi Gazette / 25 Feb 2014

The holy city is witnessing an unprecedented increase in the number of pilgrims and visitors during the current Umrah season.

There has also been a big rise in the number of pilgrims visiting the holy sites of Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah as well as Islamic historic sites in Makkah including the caves of Hira and Al-Thawr, according to a report in Makkah daily.

Source : World Bulletin / 21 Feb 2014 

Located in the west, on Istanbul's historic peninsula in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet area was once Topkapi Palace's private park, Gulhane Park has withstood the transformation in Istanbul through the reign of the Ottoman Empire to modernity.

The park was used as the outer garden of the Topkapi Palace with a variety of flowers during the Ottoman period until 1920, after which it was opened to the public by Istanbul's Mayor Cemil Pasha.

Source : Tehran Times / 21 Feb 2014

The Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, Iran, is a veritable museum of Islamic architecture and still a working mosque. Within a couple of hours you can see and compare 800 years of Islamic design, with each example near to the pinnacle of its age. The range is quite stunning: from the geometric elegance of the Seljuks, through to the Mongol period and on to the refinements of the more baroque Safavid style.

Source : Arab news / 18 Feb 2014

The Abdullatif Al-Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture was announced as a global platform to contribute to the development of contemporary mosque architecture globally.

Around 35 mosques that have been built in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 1970 were nominated for the award. Four of these won.

Source : Al Arabiya / 17 Feb 2014

UNESCO has agreed to a Palestinian request to include the ancient agricultural terraces of the West Bank village of Battir on a list of sites to be reviewed and voted on for a place on the World Heritage list in June.

The World Heritage Committee is expected to meet in Doha, Qatar, from June 15 to 25 to review a list of 41 worldwide sites to decide whether or not they qualify for entry onto the World Heritage list.

Source : World Bulletin / 17 Feb 2014

Albanian cities, most of which still have Ottoman names, present unique examples of Islamic architecture. Not only historical buildings, but also the names of the cities, have remained unchanged since Ottoman conquest.

Albania, where the Ottoman Empire had ruled for centuries, successfully preserved the empire's cultural and historical heritage. Its cities, most of which still have Ottoman names, present unique examples of Islamic architecture. Not only historical buildings, but also the names of the cities, have remained unchanged since Ottoman conquest.

Source : Arab news / 14 Feb 2014

The history of Madinah has been illuminated in words and images at a major art exhibition that opened on Tuesday in the city.

Entitled “Letters and Illumination,” the exhibition includes displays of calligraphy and photographs dating back to the 19th century.