JAKARTA: A fast-track clearance for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims — known as the “Makkah Route” — has been opened at Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta airport.
The initiative comes as the first groups of pilgrims left from six Indonesian cities, including the capital.
Indonesian and Saudi officials, including Osama bin Mohammed Al-Shuaibi, the Kingdom’s ambassador to Indonesia, were present at the official launch of the fast-track facility on Tuesday.
Airport operator Angkasa Pura has installed 20 booths to process Hajj pilgrims, with each counter manned by two Saudi immigration officers.
“This is the first time the immigration process has taken place in Jakarta, so they will not have to go through custom clearance on arrival in Saudi Arabia and can go directly to their buses, which will take them to their accommodation, while their luggage will be handled and delivered directly to their respective hotels,” Al-Shuaibi said.
“This is a step to improve our Hajj services. We have introduced it this year at Jakarta, where about 60,000 pilgrims are expected to depart. We will introduce it in four cities next time and eventually we hope to introduce it all Hajj embarkations in Indonesia,” he said.
The envoy said that about 400 pilgrims underwent the fast-track clearance in an hour at the airport on Tuesday.
“We appreciate King Salman’s initiative that makes the pilgrims’ journey much easier. It shows that we have a deep and close relation,” Indonesia’s Minister of Social Affairs, Idrus Marham, said.
Director-General of Hajj and Umrah at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Nizar Ali, said that 4,486 pilgrims had left from Surakarta, Surabaya, Jakarta, Padang, Makassar and Lombok. Up to 221,000 pilgrims are expected to leave Indonesia this year, with the last departure on Aug. 14.
Garuda, the Indonesian airline, expects to fly as many as 108,000 pilgrims in 280 groups from around the country.
Among the 393 pilgrims who left Jakarta was 91-year-old Mohammad Hasan Saad, from East Jakarta, the oldest person in the group.
Hanif Fakri, a member of the medical staff assisting the group, said this was his second pilgrimage, this time by carrying out the task as a medical officer, after his first Hajj in 2012.
Hanafi bin Dogol, a 50-year-old pilgrim from East Jakarta, told Arab News that he had been on a seven-year waiting list waiting for his chance to go on Hajj.
“I have been practicing and learning the rituals. I hope I can accomplish the pilgrimage in the most favorable manner,” he said.
Fast track to Hajj on Jakarta’s Makkah Route Initiative
https://arab.news/vst2t
Fast track to Hajj on Jakarta’s Makkah Route Initiative
- A fast-track clearance for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims has been opened at Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta airport
- The initiative comes as the first groups of pilgrims left from six Indonesian cities, including the capital
King Salman academy to host Arabic education forum in Seoul
- Scholars, teachers, linguistic experts will attend May 9 and 10
- Discussions on curricula, teaching methods and Arab culture
RIYADH: The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language is partnering with the Korean Association of Arabic Language and Literature and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies to host an international conference in Seoul, South Korea.
The conference, titled “Challenges and Prospects of Teaching Arabic Language and Literature,” is set for May 9 and 10, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Participants will discuss key issues involving Arabic-language education globally and explore new approaches in response to evolving trends and needs.
The event will involve scholars, researchers and language experts; and will help promote Arab culture, the SPA reported.
The conference will focus six key areas related to teaching Arabic as a second language in Korea: modern methodologies, teaching materials, evaluation techniques, instructional strategies, and the current state of Arabic-language learning in Korea.
By bringing together experts and academics from Saudi Arabia, Korea and other regions, the conference is designed to assist Arabic-language teachers and non-native speakers.
The King Salman academy is also set to launch its upcoming international conference on computational linguistics.
Red Wave-7 naval drill kicks off in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH: The Red Wave-7 naval exercise has started at King Faisal Naval Base, home of the Western Fleet.
As well as the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, taking part are countries including Jordan, Egypt, Djibouti, and Yemen, along with the Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force, and units of the Saudi Border Guard.
The commander of the Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Mansour bin Saud Al-Juaid, said the drill aimed to enhance maritime security for countries bordering the Red Sea and protect territorial waters, according to Saudi Press Agency.
The drill includes a number of scenarios featuring exercises that offer significant training opportunities. There will be strategic lectures and simulated combat exercises designed to reflect potential real-world situations.
It will promote joint and combined operations, such as surface and air warfare, electronic warfare, and countering speedboat attacks. The forces will also conduct maritime security exercises, including protecting shipping lines and combating smuggling, terrorism, piracy and illegal immigration.
Al-Juaid said naval ships, helicopters, fast response boats, naval infantry, maritime special security forces and various types of combat aircraft would all be deployed over the duration of the drill.
Hareed Festival: A window into the heart of the Farasan Islands
- Annual event highlights tourism potential
Riyadh: The Farasan Islands, a string of coral islands nestled 40 km off the coast of Jazan in the Red Sea, have been abuzz with activity recently as they hosted the 20th Hareed Festival.
This vibrant annual event celebrates the arrival of parrotfish, also called hareed, in the islands’ shallow waters, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The islanders have cherished this event for generations, transforming it into a social gathering that goes well beyond the arrival of the fish.
Visitors to the festival got a glimpse of the islands’ rich cultural heritage as it showcased the area’s unique customs, traditions, folk games, and handicrafts. It also focused its spotlight on Farasan’s remarkable tourism potential and historic sites.
Al-Dana provides one of the highlights. It is a captivating form of vocal art that is one of Farasan’s oldest folk traditions. It forms a poignant expression of longing, a result of the hardships endured by sailors on extended pearl-diving expeditions. The challenges faced by these brave men fueled the art form, which is deeply rooted in Farasan’s cultural identity.
The annual festival also gives an opportunity for Farasan residents to display their traditional handicrafts. Visitors can watch the making of fishing traps and nets, the intricate weaving of palm fronds, the creation of bags and rugs, and hat knitting.
A designated area at the hareed fishing site catered to families and children. Visitors could experience the thrill of catching parrotfish using a traditional method that involved setting up barriers to prevent the fish from escaping. This competition, a centuries-old tradition, allowed families to connect with the region’s fishing heritage.
Farasan’s most renowned tourist attractions highlighted the islands’ potential for tourism.
Al-Qassar village, which is located only 5 km from Farasan Grand Island, is a popular tourist site. This heritage village, which is built of stone and palm leaves, is home to the archipelago’s largest palm oasis.
Al-Qassar has served as a summer retreat for Farasan residents. People travel by camel to spend a three-month break in the village during the season of Al-Asef, the northwestern summer wind that comes after the hareed fishing season.
Famous for its abundance of fresh groundwater, Al-Qassar village comprises around 400 houses. These unique dwellings, with stone walls and roofs made of palm tree planks, leaves, doum palm, or anisotes trisulcus branches, topped with algae and mud, are made by traditional building techniques designed to withstand the elements.
The Hareed Festival is a window into the heart and soul of the inhabitants of the Farasan Islands; a celebration of culture, tradition, and the islands’ natural beauty.
Saudi Border Guard arrest 4 attempting to smuggle qat
JAZAN: The Kingdom’s Border Guard in Al-Ardah, Jazan, recently arrested four Yemeni nationals attempting to smuggle 80 kg of qat into the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Mostly chewed by users, Qat is a mild stimulant and illegal across most of the Arab world.
The government has urged citizens and residents to report any information they have regarding drug smuggling or sales to the General Directorate of Narcotics Control. Reports can be made by calling 911 for Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, and 999 for other regions. Alternatively, information can be emailed to [email protected]. All reports are treated confidentially.
KSrelief distributes food in Pakistan, drills solar-powered wells in Nigeria
DUBAI: KSrelief, Saudi Arabia’s aid agency, recently distributed 370 food baskets in the flood-hit Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, benefiting 2,590 individuals.
The aid was a part of the fourth phase of the Kingdom’s Food Security Support Project in Pakistan 2024.
Last week, KSrelief, in collaboration with a civil society organization, initiated a project to drill six solar-powered medium-depth water wells in Kwara State, Nigeria. The wells, each at a depth of about 80 meters and equipped with tanks holding 5,000 liters, are for the benefit of 30,000 individuals.
The beneficiaries lauded Saudi Arabia for addressing their vital water needs.
