MINA— Minister of National Guard Prince Abdullah bin Bandar inspected the military readiness of the National Guard Ministry’s forces participating in the 2026 Hajj mission. He inspected a military parade showcasing units assigned to support pilgrim security. The ministry’s forces are carrying out security and health-related duties across Makkah, the holy sites, and Madinah with high efficiency and morale, as part of the integrated efforts of military, security, and government agencies serving pilgrims during Hajj. The ministry announced the completion of its operational plans for the Hajj season, aimed at delivering comprehensive services to pilgrims and ensuring their comfort through…
Author: Editorial Team
MINA— A total of 12 Turkish and Yemeni nationals arrested for violating the Hajj rules and regulations. Hajj security forces arrested eight Turkish nationals after attempting to enter and remain in Makkah without obtaining a Hajj permit. Legal procedures were initiated against them. The Public Security has reiterated its firm directive urging all citizens and residents to strictly adhere to official Hajj instructions. It called on the public that any violations shall be immediately reported by dialing 911 in the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province and 999 across the rest of the Kingdom. Hajj security forces…
The Ministry of Interior reaffirmed that anyone caught transporting citizens or residents in violation of Hajj regulations would face tough penalties, stressing that obtaining an official Hajj permit is a basic requirement for performing Hajj. The ministry stated that transporters of Hajj regulation violators would face fines of up to SAR50,000, imprisonment for up to six months, and possible confiscation of the vehicle by court order. It added that if the offender is a foreign resident, they would also be deported after serving the sentence and banned from re-entering the Kingdom for periods specified under the relevant regulations. The ministry urged everyone to…
RIYADH — Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and seven other Muslim countries strongly condemned the appalling, degrading, and unacceptable actions of extremist Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir against activists in the Gaza-bound flotilla while they were in Israeli detention. The foreign ministers include those of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Türkiye. The ministers stressed that Ben-Gvir’s deliberate public humiliation of detainees is a disgraceful assault on human dignity and a clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and international human rights law. The ministers further deplored and condemned in the strongest…
MAKKAH — The holy sites are witnessing the implementation of more than 25 development projects by Kidana Development Company, spanning shading, cooling, greening, pedestrian path development, and rest areas, in a comprehensive transformation to improve the quality of the pilgrim experience. Kidana is the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites. Key projects include the first-ever cooling and shading project around Jabal Al-Rahmah in Arafat, covering more than 392,000 square meters, and a pedestrian path shading project covering 103,000 square meters across two phases in Mina. The Green Holy Sites initiative continues to reshape the…
The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued 80 new mining licenses during March 2026 as part of its efforts to develop the Kingdom’s mining sector and maximize its contribution to diversifying sources of income for the national economy. Ministry spokesperson Jarrah bin Mohammed Al-Jarrah noted that the new mining licenses included 49 exploration licenses, 20 building materials quarry licenses, eight mining exploitation and small mine licenses, two reconnaissance licenses, and one surplus mineral ores license, according to the report of the ministry’s National Center for Industrial and Mining Information on mining indicators for March 2026. Al-Jarrah said the total number of…
RIYADH — The Ministry of Interior’s electronic platform Absher carried out a total of 16,536,826 electronic transactions and services during April. The beneficiaries of these services were users across Absher Individuals and Absher Business. A total of 13,973,584 transactions were completed through Absher Individuals, and these include 3,609,072 document-viewing operations via the Digital Wallet feature, available to citizens, residents, and visitors through the Absher app. Absher Business recorded 2,563,242 transactions. Transactions related to the General Directorate of Public Security reached 3,417,847, including 3,307,760 services carried out by the General Department of Traffic. The General Directorate of Passports recorded 2,202,603 transactions,…
MINA — The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Sunday that all field and operational preparations for transporting pilgrims to the tent city of Mina have been completed, as the rituals of Hajj commence on Monday. Pilgrims have finalized their preparations to depart for Mina from their residences in Makkah to observe the Day of Tarwiyah on Monday, marking the beginning of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Hundreds of thousands of domestic pilgrims will join more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims who have arrived in the Kingdom from across the globe for this year’s Hajj. Following the example of…
Under the directives of Governor of Madinah Region and Chairman of the Permanent Hajj and Umrah Committee, Madinah Deputy Governor Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud bin Abdulaziz reviewed health services provided to pilgrims during the Hajj season during a meeting with Director of the Ministry of Health branch in the region Dr. Sami Al-Ruhaili and Chief Executive Officer of the Madinah Health Cluster Abdulrahman Alharbi. The meeting covered hospital and health center services, operational plans for healthcare continuity during pilgrims’ dispatching to Makkah, and performance indicators for health and emergency services. The deputy governor directed the continuation of healthcare services for…
MINA — During every Hajj season, Saudi Arabia continues presenting an advanced global model in crowd management and serving millions of pilgrims, relying on advanced technological infrastructure and a modern organizational vision that has made the Hajj journey safer, easier, and more seamless. Among the most prominent initiatives reflecting this qualitative transformation is the Nusuk Card, which provides pilgrims with a smooth spiritual journey within an integrated digital system that contributes to organizing the journey from arrival until the completion of rituals. The card is one of the initiatives launched by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and contains the…