The Latest Breaking News from Makkah

Riyadh has maintained its position as the 3rd Arab city in the IMD Smart City Index (SCI) 2023, which saw for the first time the Saudi cities of Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah included in the index, ranking the 4th, 5th and 7th respectively. At the global level, Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah,…

The Grand Mosque in Makkah has been welcoming nearly a million Umrah pilgrims and worshippers daily since the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan that began 12 days ago. The numbers are expected to rise in the second half of the month. The General Presidency of the Affairs…

Jordanian Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II arrived in Jeddah on Sunday. He was received at King Abdulaziz International Airport by deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Mayor of Mekkah Saleh Al-Turki, chief of police in Makkah Saleh Al-Jabri, and Jordan’s Consul General…

Some 250,000 pilgrims from around the world have arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah. They arrived at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport where they were provided with all the necessary services that would make their journey as smooth as possible. Director of passports at the facility Suleiman Al-Yusuf…

Umrah security forces in Saudi Arabia have introduced the Interior Ministry's plan for the Umrah season in 2023. The program tackles security, managing and organizing crowds, managing traffic, providing humanitarian services, and empowering squads implementing the plan. “The Umrah security plan for (this) year included managing and organizing crowds and…

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Vienna, praised Saudi Arabia’s efforts to dissociate the Islamic religion from the phenomena of terrorism and isolation, stressing the importance of the Makkah Document in confronting hatred and extremist ideas and spreading tolerance and coexistence. During an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in Riyadh,…

Saudi Arabia seeks to transform Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah in the west of the Kingdom into a center for financial and business activities in the Islamic world. Three economic entities are joining forces to turn the two cities into a center for business activities, and a platform for knowledge…

Saudi Arabia has launched a package of facilitation to the visitors of Makkah and Madinah from Türkiye. In a meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday, the Saudi Tourism Authority announced that Turkish nationals wishing to visit Saudi Arabia will now have the option to obtain a tourist visa through the Saudi…

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said fingerprint registration will be mandatory to issue a visa for pilgrims coming to Makkah from the United Kingdom, Tunisia, Kuwait, Bangladesh and Malaysia. The decision aims to ease the entry procedures through the Kingdom’s ports and improve the digital experience for pilgrims.…

Saudi Arabia's private utility ACWA Power and a unit of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) on Wednesday signed agreements to develop the largest solar power plant in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The 2,060 megawatt project will be located in Al Shuaibah in Makkah province and is…

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched on Monday a unified government platform, "nusuk.sa", that will serve the new Saudi gateway to Makkah and Madinah, reported the Saudi Press Agency. The platform is aimed at developing the experience of pilgrims, and facilitating the procedures for their arrival from all…