MAKKAH, 27 March 2008 — Prince Salman ibn Abdulaziz, governor of Riyadh region, will launch on Saturday a project to develop an encyclopedia on the annual Haj and the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah.
Fahd Al-Simari, secretary-general of the King Abdulaziz Museum, who is heading the project, said the encyclopedia would shed light on the Haj from religious, social, cultural and economic perspectives.
He added that when finished the encyclopedia would document the history of the Haj from pre-Islamic times to the present day and detail the location and situation of main cities and pilgrim routes.
The encyclopedia — which will be illustrated with photographs, paintings and maps — will also include input from several historians and researchers, historical documents from the Kingdom and abroad, discourse on terminology, and the experiences of pilgrims.
Al-Simari said that it would also include material on the way services provided to pilgrims throughout the years have developed, and that it would become an important source for research.
The project is being undertaken by the King Abdulaziz Museum, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Haj Research in Makkah, the Ministry of Haj, the General Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education and the Saudi Binladin Group.
Al-Simari said that Prince Salman would also be opening an exhibition on King Abdulaziz and Makkah at the event, prepared by the King Abdulaziz Museum.
