1,300-year-old mosque to be renovated under Prince Mohammed bin Salman project

Built in the 670s, the Al-Safa historical mosque will be repaired under the second phase of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques. (SPA)
Built in the 670s, the Al-Safa historical mosque will be repaired under the second phase of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques. (SPA)
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Updated 28 March 2023

1,300-year-old mosque to be renovated under Prince Mohammed bin Salman project

1,300-year-old mosque to be renovated under Prince Mohammed bin Salman project
  • Located in the Baljurashi Governorate, the renovation process will keep unchanged the mosque’s footprint and its capacity

RIYADH: A seventh-century mosque in Saudi Arabia's Al-Baha region is set to undergo a comprehensive renovation process, Saudi Press Agency has reported.

Built in the 670s, the Al-Safa historical mosque will be repaired under the second phase of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques.

The renovation project will ensure preservation of the mosque’s unique Sarat style and its historical value while restoring its aesthetic elements and renewing its construction with natural materials including stone from the Sarawat Mountains and local wood used in ceilings, columns, windows, and doors.

Located in the Baljurashi Governorate, the renovation process will keep unchanged the mosque’s footprint and its capacity.

The mosque’s current area is 78 square meters, and can accommodate 31 worshippers. The restoration will be executed as per a set of methods that preserve the mosque’s historical and design values.

The mosque is surrounded by adjacent buildings separated by narrow passages in the village in the high mountains, where there are many forms of construction, including stone buildings characterized by narrow openings.

Al-Safa Mosque is supported by two distinct columns of juniper trees, which the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project will redevelop, in addition to preserving the inscriptions on the mosque's columns and developing them with inscriptions of the staircase unit, in a step that will also revive the ancient architectural traditions of the Al-Baha region and highlight its ancient historical heritage.

It is said that the first person to build the Al-Safa Mosque was Sufyan bin Auf Al-Ghamdi, and at the time, the mosque had a prominent social role, as it was considered a place for villagers to assemble and discuss their affairs and resolve their disputes between the Maghrib and Isha prayers.

The second phase of the project has covered 30 historic mosques across the Kingdom's 13 regions, including six mosques in Riyadh, five mosques in Makkah, four mosques in Madinah, three in Asir, two in each of the Eastern Region, Al-Jauf, and Jazan, and one mosque in each of the Northern Borders Region, Tabuk, Al-Baha, Najran, Hail, and Al-Qassim.

The project aims to achieve a balance between ancient and modern construction standards in a way that gives the components of mosques an appropriate degree of sustainability and integrates the effects of development with a set of heritage and historical characteristics.

The renovation process is being carried out by Saudi companies specialized in heritage buildings, with an emphasis on involving Saudi engineers to ensure the preservation of the authentic urban identity of each mosque since its establishment.

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques serves four strategic objectives: restoration of historical mosques for worship and prayer, restoration of the urban authenticity of historical mosques, highlighting the cultural dimension of Saudi Arabia, and enhancing the religious and cultural status of historical mosques.

The project also contributes to highlighting the cultural and civilizational extent of the Kingdom as one of the pillars of the Saudi Vision 2030 by preserving authentic urban characteristics and utilizing them to contribute to the development of modern mosque designs.


Ons Jabeur defeats Bernarda Pera in straight sets to reach French Open quarterfinals

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur celebrates after winning against US Bernarda Pera.
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur celebrates after winning against US Bernarda Pera.
Updated 1 min 54 sec ago

Ons Jabeur defeats Bernarda Pera in straight sets to reach French Open quarterfinals

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur celebrates after winning against US Bernarda Pera.
  • Jabeur, the runner-up at Wimbledon last year, advanced to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time in her career

PARIS: Bernarda Pera could not win a single game on her serve Monday as she was eliminated in straight sets in the fourth round of the French Open.
Facing seventh-seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, the unseeded American was broken eight times on Court Philippe Chatrier and lost 6-3, 6-1. Jabeur won 15 of 16 points on Pera’s second serve.
Jabeur, the runner-up at Wimbledon last year, advanced to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time in her career.
Jabeur also struggled with her serve but managed to save eight of the 12 break points she faced.
“She put a lot of pressure on my service,” Jabeur said. “I’m pleased that I was able to win my service games when I needed to. ... Hopefully, I’ll return well and serve better in my next match.”
Pera looked frustrated and tried to shorten rallies, but the strategy did not work. She ended up making 33 unforced errors in total.
Later Monday, No. 1-seeded Iga Swiatek will face Lesia Tsurenko at Court Suzanne Lenglen, while No. 6 Coco Gauff takes on Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. A year ago, Swiatek defeated Gauff in the final at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament and they would meet in the quarterfinals this week if they both win their fourth-round match.
In the men’s bracket, No. 4 Casper Ruud is up against Nicolas Jarry, No. 6 Holger Rune takes on No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo, No. 27 Yoshihito plays Tomas Martin Etcheverry, and No. 22 Alexander Zverev faces No. 28 Grigor Dimitrov in the night session.


Saudi Arabia, Egypt sign MoU to bolster bilateral trade

Saudi Arabia, Egypt sign MoU to bolster bilateral trade
Updated 31 min 46 sec ago

Saudi Arabia, Egypt sign MoU to bolster bilateral trade

Saudi Arabia, Egypt sign MoU to bolster bilateral trade

RIYADH: Bilateral trade between Saudi Arabia and Egypt is set to grow after an agreement was reached to enhance economic cooperation — with a key focus on developing the non-oil export sector.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Saudi Export Development Authority and Egypt’s Export Development Authority, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The agreement falls within the framework of the two countries’ commitment to bolster economic and trade cooperation while developing non-oil export sectors to further diversify sources of income.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the official visit of Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef to Egypt.

Abdulrahman Al-Thukair, CEO of the Saudi Export Development Authority, and Egypt’s Minister of Plenipotentiary Trade Yahya Al-Wathiq Billah inked the agreement.

Under the new MoU, the countries will collaborate across broad areas including the exchange of experiences and knowledge in the field of developing exports as well as cooperation around relevant research and studies, Al-Thukair explained.

In addition to this, the two countries will also provide technical support and consultations in the fields of export and international marketing, the CEO said.

The Kingdom and Egypt will work together closely in the organization of joint events, as well as seminars, to enhance communication and exchange of experiences between companies and exporters in the two countries, he added.

Furthermore, the MoU reflects the commitment of the two parties to strengthen bilateral cooperation and joint action in order to achieve the goals of development and sustainability in the field of exports.

Through this MoU, the Saudi authority aims to expand the scope of local producers and exporters in line with the Vision 2030 goal of raising the proportion of exports to no less than 50 percent of the Kingdom’s non-oil gross domestic product.

 


UK to house hundreds more migrants on barges, Sunak says

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak travels aboard Border Force cutter 'HMC Seeker' during a visit to the English Channel.
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak travels aboard Border Force cutter 'HMC Seeker' during a visit to the English Channel.
Updated 27 min 51 sec ago

UK to house hundreds more migrants on barges, Sunak says

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak travels aboard Border Force cutter 'HMC Seeker' during a visit to the English Channel.
  • Two more barges will house about 1,000 migrants, Sunak said, alongside one that’s set to be docked in Portland in southern England within the next two weeks

LONDON: The UK government will house hundreds more asylum-seekers on barges, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday, as he unveiled the latest migration figures that he said showed that his plans to crack down on small boat crossings on the English Channel are working.
Two more barges will house about 1,000 migrants, Sunak said, alongside one that’s set to be docked in Portland in southern England within the next two weeks. The move is meant to help save millions in taxpayers’ money currently spent to house asylum-seekers in hotels across the country.
Sunak told reporters that compared to the same time last year, the number of people making the dangerous sea crossing on small vessels from northern France to the southern English coast so far this year has decreased by a fifth. He suggested that the UK was doing better than other countries in Europe, where he said unauthorized migrant crossings have increased by a third over the same period.
Figures from the Home Office show that about 7,600 people were detected crossing the English Channel so far this year, compared with almost 10,000 last June. However, it is difficult to tell whether the decrease was linked to Sunak’s government’s policies or other factors such as weather conditions. The summer months typically see much higher numbers making the journey.
Sunak also said that the number of Albanian migrants arriving by small boats has fallen by almost 90 percent, and that a deal with Albania has seen 1,800 asylum-seekers turned back.
Many of the asylum-seekers arriving in the UK each year hail from conflict zones, including Afghanistan and Syria, though a large number come from Albania, which Sunak’s government describes as a “safe” country.
Sunak has made “Stop the Boats” his flagship policy since he took office in October. His government is pushing through a controversial migration bill that seeks to dramatically curb migrants’ ability to seek asylum in the UK Critics, including the UN refugee agency, have decried it as unethical and unworkable, and some say it breaks international law.


Afghan personnel hunted by Taliban denied UK sanctuary

Afghan personnel hunted by Taliban denied UK sanctuary
Updated 47 min 3 sec ago

Afghan personnel hunted by Taliban denied UK sanctuary

Afghan personnel hunted by Taliban denied UK sanctuary
  • Mechanics, chefs and laborers rejected by resettlement scheme for failing frontline role criteria
  • ‘We are all the same in the Taliban’s eyes,’ says former interpreter

LONDON: Afghans who worked for the UK military and who are at risk of Taliban reprisal attacks are being refused sanctuary in the UK, The Independent reported.

The revelations are part of an investigation by the newspaper into Britain’s relocation policies regarding Afghan military personnel who aided UK forces.

The Independent’s latest report found that former mechanics, laborers and chefs are being rejected by the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme because they fail to classify as having served in frontline roles alongside British troops. 
But that distinction is not recognized by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, with the former staff and contractors facing revenge attacks as a result of their work for British forces.
Tobias Ellwood MP, chair of the defense select committee, warned that the Taliban were still hunting Afghan workers who aided Western forces.
He said: “I don’t believe the Taliban share the same criteria. They gained access to databases of all local Afghans who were assisting ISAF forces and local Taliban continue to hunt them down for execution. Each case should be judged on its own merit.”
Some of the Afghans who aided the UK war effort and who fled to the UK in the wake of the Taliban takeover have appealed to the government to help their former colleagues still trapped in Afghanistan.
But Armed Forces Minister James Heappey has said that the government has no intention of expanding the ARAP criteria to include former non-frontline staff and contractors.
An Afghan mechanic who repaired troop carriers and armored vehicles during the conflict was rejected by the scheme last year, but is now appealing the decision through a judicial review.
He was left jobless when British troops pulled out of the country, and later worked for NGOs and as a contractor for private military forces.
But following the Taliban takeover, the man was forced into hiding, with his former colleagues demanding that the UK grant him sanctuary through the ARAP scheme.
A former British Army adviser and colleague of the mechanic told The Independent: “We are trying to do our best for him and his family but he is in a very bad situation. A lot of people are being disappeared and he is all the time hiding himself because many people know that he worked with the British Army.
“Lots of people in the same situation applied for ARAP. I don’t know why ARAP just rejected his case.”
The mechanic’s solicitor, Stephanie Alban, who is challenging the decision, said: “His life is in danger so I thought they would deal with it in days and not weeks. He is in hiding and he has been moving to avoid the Taliban.
“People in the local area would know that he worked for the British. He’s on their record so they will be looking for him and targeting him. It feels like these employees have just been forgotten. You shouldn’t have to do judicial reviews just to get a simple decision on a straightforward case.”
Other Afghan personnel denied by the ARAP scheme have said that they were still exposed to danger and risk despite not serving in frontline combat roles.
A former guard who protected a British Army camp said that he was fired at during a terrorist attack on the base, but was still rejected by the UK on account of his guard role.
Since the Western withdrawal, he has received threats from the Taliban as well as Daesh, which has a small presence in Afghanistan.
As a result, the former guard has moved his family to new homes around the country to avoid reprisal attacks.
In a review into his ARAP application, the man said: “Security at the camp was vital in order to ensure the safety of the British and other NATO soldiers in the camp.
“As such, the camp and the military operations carried out from the camp could not have functioned without the presence of security guards like myself.”
The Independent also spoke to relatives of personnel who have been rejected by ARAP, including former British Army chefs and laborers.
One interpreter said that his brother, a former laborer, had gone into hiding to avoid the Taliban after the Western withdrawal.
“He is in the same risk as me. It is not written on his face that he was a laborer and not an interpreter. We were all working with the British Army and we were all the same in the Taliban’s eyes.
“They have already killed one of our other brothers in front of our family home in 2020. He was working to help the American and British troops and they encountered him and shot him.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We owe a debt of gratitude to those interpreters and other staff eligible under the ARAP scheme who worked for, or with, UK forces in Afghanistan in exposed roles.
“Our absolute priority is supporting the movement of eligible people out of Afghanistan and, to date, we have relocated over 12,200 individuals to the UK under ARAP.


Iran to reopen diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia this week

Iran to reopen diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia this week
Updated 05 June 2023

Iran to reopen diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia this week

Iran to reopen diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia this week

RIYADH: Iran will reopen its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia this week, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.  

Tehran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani announced the reopening in a statement Monday, confirming earlier comments by a diplomatic source in Riyadh.

“To implement the agreement ..., Iran’s embassy in Riyadh, our Consulate General in Jeddah and our office to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be officially reopened on Tuesday and Wednesday,” spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.

The diplomatic mission will return under the leadership of Alireza Enayati, who previously served as Iran's ambassador to Kuwait.

The step comes several months after Tehran and Riyadh agreed to end years of antagonism under a Chinese-brokered deal.

In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish relations between the regional rivals whose hostility had threatened stability and security in the Middle East and helped fuel regional conflicts from Yemen to Syria.