Mecca Archives - Voice of the Cape

SAHUC set to host Awareness Programme ahead of 2024 Hajj season

By Ragheema Mclean The South African Hajj & Umrah Council (SAHUC) has extended an invitation to the public for their Cape Town Hajj Awareness Programme scheduled to be held at Oaklands High School in Chukker Road, Landsdowne, on Sunday 3 December. Speaking on the VOC Breakfast show on Wednesday, Western Cape Chairperson of SAHUC Mohammad Groenewald said the programme aims to educate the public and update prospective hujaaj on the […]

22 November 2023

Local

The second group of Hujaaj arrived at the Cape Town International Airport today

By Kouthar Sambo Khidmatul Awaam’s Moulana Dawood Sampson said the second group of Hujaaj arrived at the Cape Town international airport at 11:35 am today after bidding farewell to the holy cities of Mina and Aziziyah (district of Mecca). Moulana went on to say that some Hujaaj will be dressed in their traditional Hajj attire which is also an heirloom to some. “For Hujaaj that are still here in Aziziyah, […]

4 July 2023

International

Hajj: Record-breaking crowds expected as pilgrimage begins in Saudi heat

The annual pilgrimage of Hajj began in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, with coordinators expecting record-breaking attendance. Crowds have already begun to build around the Kaaba, the cubed structure at the epicentre of Islam’s holiest site, as worshippers arrive. "This year, we will witness the largest Hajj pilgrimage in history," if things go according to plan, predicted an official with the Saudi ministry of Hajj and umrah. With Covid-19 restrictions fully lifted for the first time in […]

26 June 2023

International

Four Hajj delegations leave besieged Gaza to Mecca

Gaza – Over the past week, four batches of pilgrims departed from the Gaza Strip for Saudi Arabia to perform the rituals of Hajj. About 6,600 people from Gaza and the West Bank left for Mecca to perform Hajj for 2023. According to the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, the pilgrims travelled from Gaza during a four-day span, with 900 pilgrims in the first group, 900 on the second, 600 […]

18 June 2023

International

Saudi Arabia to host pre-pandemic numbers for 2023 Haj pilgrimage season

Saudi Arabia will remove COVID-19 restrictions for the 2023 Haj season and host pre-pandemic numbers of pilgrims, the Kingdom's Ministry of Haj and Umrah said on Monday, Reuters reports. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic struck, some 2.6 million people performed the Haj. The Kingdom allowed only limited numbers from its residents in 2020 and 2021 before it welcomed back one million foreign pilgrims in 2022. The Ministry of Haj […]

10 January 2023

International

Saudi Arabia considers public offering to fund Mecca megaproject

INTERNATIONAL Saudi Arabia has asked US investment bank Lazard for ways to fund construction of its $500bn futuristic desert-city Neom, as well as a $27bn megaproject in the holy city of Mecca. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is considering selling debt from the projects and an initial public offering on the Saudi stock exchange. The sovereign wealth fund is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and has more than $600bn in […]

11 November 2022

International

Saudi Arabia: Robots to relay sermons and call to prayer at Mecca’s Grand Mosque

INTERNATIONAL Saudi Arabia has launched a set of robots equipped with artificial intelligence technology in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, which will help worshippers during their visit to the holy site. Unveiled over the weekend, the robots will communicate public messages, such as sermons and prayer calls, from the imams and muezzins to pilgrims. Visitors can use their smartphones to scan the robot's barcodes to show content such as verses from the […]

12 September 2022

International News

Pilgrims return to Mecca as Saudi Arabia eases COVID restrictions

A limited number of people circled Islam’s holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. The kingdom took the rare step of suspending the Umrah – the smaller pilgrimage that draws millions all year round from around the world – in early March as the coronavirus morphed into a global pandemic and prompted countries to impose lockdowns and curfews […]

4 October 2020

Mecca

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