Holy Mosques Presidency Starts Website

Courtesy P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

JEDDAH, 22 April 2008 — The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques has launched a website that allows people all over the world to watch prayers and sermons at the two mosques. It also offers access to 45,000 recordings of recitation of the Qur’an and Islamic lectures.

The website (www.gph.gov.sa) provides information about the presidency and its activities. It also contains links to the Agency for the Prophet’s Mosques Affairs, libraries of the two mosques, the Institute of the Haram Mosque and the Kaaba Kiswa Factory in Makkah.

The presidency is now working on the second phase of the project, which will include e-education services. Indices of rare books and calligraphic writings available in the two libraries will serve as a useful reference for researchers. “Services in English and other major languages will be available during the second phase,” said an official source.

The website contains information about how to perform Haj and Umrah, speeches in Arabic, Urdu and English, and prayer times in Makkah and Madinah, recitations of the Qur’an by the imams of the two holy mosques and their Friday sermons and books published by the presidency.

The website will also have radio programs in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia and Urdu in addition to the programs of Radio Qur’an. “People can also access translations of the Qur’an in different languages,” the source said. The e-library contains pictures of the two holy mosques.

“We have launched this website in order to enlighten the public on our services,” said Saleh Al-Hosain, head of the presidency. He hoped that the website would contribute to spreading the message of Islam among other communities.

He said the presidency would work to make the website’s services available in other major languages for the benefit of more people.

“The website provides a golden opportunity for those who are not able to visit the two holy mosques to watch prayers and sermons there,” said Dr. Muhammad Al-Khozaim, deputy chief of the presidency.

He invited constructive proposals from the public to improve the website and its services.

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