Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, presided over the Makkah Historical Center’s directors meeting at his office in Jeddah to review the center’s activities on Saturday.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, deputy chairman of the center, was also present.
Prince Salman said: “It is a matter of joy that Muslims are flocking in huge numbers to Makkah and Madinah, reflecting the security and stability prevailing in the Kingdom.”
Director general of the center Fahd Al-Semmari, who is also secretary-general of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah), said in a statement: “The meeting discussed the obstacles that stand in the way of the historical center’s activities and its solutions so that the center serves Islamic history in a comprehensive manner.”
Al-Semmari added the meeting discussed the center’s scientific activities and how prepared it was to conduct scheduled events such as this year’s seminar on education in the Two Holy Mosques during the period of King Abdul Aziz.
The seminar is one of the three large forums the center planned to conduct in 2012 and 2013.
Prince Salman was also briefed on the center’s executive committee’s decisions headed by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal. The crown prince was also briefed on the progress of the Haj and Two Holy Mosques Encyclopedia being prepared by the Darah.
Several workshops were organized inside the Kingdom and abroad as part of work on the encyclopedia, Al-Semmari said.
The meeting was briefed on the center’s eight publications that documented various aspects of Makkah’s history. Three of the publications are currently under print.
The meeting also discussed the terms of the cooperation agreement between the center and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Haj Research, a subsidiary of the Umm Al-Qura University.
The meeting was also briefed on a report on the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities’ activities to protect Makkah’s history.
