RIYADH, 2 March — Eid Al-Adha prayers will be held at 6.30 am on Monday at 19 Eid grounds and 276 Jamia mosques in the capital. Riyadh Governor Prince Salman has also given permission for holding Eid prayers in three other Jamia mosques in case of rain or unusually cold weather, according to Abdullah ibn Mufleh Al-Hamad, director general in the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (Riyadh branch).
These are Jamia Imam Turki ibn Abdullah (Qasr Al-Hukm Quarter), Jamia Al-Faryan situated on Al-Faryan Street and Jamia Al-Qari on King Faisal Street. Meanwhile, vehicular traffic in Riyadh has eased a great deal as the citizens and expatriates have started leaving for Haj and on vacation to their countries back home.
But those remaining in the capital are shopping for Eid purchases, especially sweets, clothing, footwear and perfumes. According to a survey, shoppers in the Kingdom spend over SR 10 billion on Eid-related purchases.
A spokesman of Euromarche, a major hypermarket in Riyadh, told Arab News that some of the fast-moving items during the run-up to Eid festivities were cosmetics (sales worth about SR35,000 a day) and men’s wear (daily sales over SR30,000) followed by garments for ladies and children as well as footwear.
Other items in demand were chocolates (SR20,000 daily sales), toys (SR8,000-9,000 a day) and baby’s diapers, among other things. He said the sales trend reflects the demographic characteristics of the Saudi population, 60 percent of whom are under 20 years of age.
In a related development, City Plaza, another one-stop shopping center, has announced that it is offering pilgrims in Makkah 12 to 20 percent discounts on items ranging from fashion clothing for children, men and ladies, to toys, shoes, gifts and various household items.
“This discount scheme would make our merchandize prices competitive with the markets of Dubai and the Far East. This is the least we could do for pilgrims who have come from all over the world,” a spokesman of Riyadh-based City Plaza, told Arab News. He added that 300,000 booklets and flyers had been printed in ten different languages explaining the Haj procedures and also informing them about the discount offer.
