As salaamu ‘alaikum. It’s not a “please touch” museum, so keep an eye on your children In Shaa Allaah….

Abdur Ra’oof Khaleel Museum

Tele#: 58 487 5677

Al Mathaf St. - Hayy Al Andalus 

Four homes with more than 10,000 artifacts. 

Features:

• The House of Saudi ‘Arabian Legacy (replicas of traditional Saudi houses).
• Islamic Legacy House
• General Legacy Exhibition and more…

Entrance fee: 20 SAR  

Saturday to Thursday

Day Hours: 9AM - 12 Noon 

Night Hours: 5PM - 9PM 

Harrah Rahat to Become Eco-Tourism Center
Yousuf Mohammad, Arab News

MADINAH — The Supreme Commission for Tourism plans to make the Harrah Rahat (Rahat Volcano) an eco-tourism center.

Harrah Rahat on the 916-meter high Jabal Lamsa plateau near Madinah is a volcano crate with an enormous surrounding licorice-black lava field.

“Harrah Rahat is one of the most spectacular natural sites in the Kingdom,” said Yusuf Al-Mozaini, head of the tourism department in Madinah. “In terms of volcanic studies the site is immensely significant.”

The tourism department, local municipality and the Saudi Geological Survey are currently working to preserve the natural features of the Harrah, Al-Mozaini told Arab News.

The volcano first erupted in this part of Arabia two million years ago and remained active until 1256 AD when it last erupted. Then, the fiery eruptions lasted nearly two months and spewed lava and ash from a massive fissure southeast of Madinah, throwing up six cones of cinders. The lava flowed a distance of 23 km from the crater.

According to ancient historians, the depth of the lava flow was a long spear’s length, around three meters and it flowed like a red-blue boiling river, carrying in its way gravels, stones and trees, with a noise-like thunder.

The volcanic cinders have consumer uses as well. Glowing a pleasant red at 1000 degrees Centigrade, volcanic cinders are ideal for lining gas barbecues. As firewood becomes scarcer in the region, kebab restaurants and grills increasingly turn to volcanic stone placed over gas fires.

A visitor to the top of the mountain can view the city of Madinah in its full glory sprawling around the Prophet’s Mosque.

• Name 1 object for each ‘Arabic letter.
• Time each person with a stop watch.
• Think fast! You can’t skip a letter or pause the stop watch.
• If the player pauses longer than 5 secs, add 3 extra seconds to their end time (this is 3 secs for every 5).
• Keep track of all times. The person with the least amount of time wins.

Bull’s-Eye for Red Arrows in Jeddah

Arab News JEDDAH,

8 November 2007 — Exactly to the second, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Display Team, the Red Arrows, burst onto the Jeddah Corniche in a thunderous opening to a 22 minute display of spectacular and disciplined flying yesterday. Having obtained special clearance to fly over the city at low level, the huge crowd spread over three kilometers of the Corniche was mainly looking seaward when the nine scarlet Hawk jets screamed overhead in V formation trailing read, white and blue smoke.

The first nine minutes saw all the aircraft in close formation, maneuvering in a series of rolls, loops and high-speed low-level passes in a breathtaking display of aerobatics. At some times during the display, wing tips were less than two meters apart as the Hawks sped over a calm sea at speed up to 800kph drawing gasps of incredulity from some seasoned pilots watching the display.

“The second part of the display, about 10 minutes, is designed to really excite the crowds,” said Wing Cmdr. Jason Hawker who, as Red 1, led the nine aircraft formation through the first half of the display. “The second half is far more dynamic and involves some very exciting stuff.” The stress on the pilots during the high-speed aerobatics is huge. Pulling eight times the force of gravity, the pilots highlighted the complexity of their maneuvers by trailing smoke which hung in the air in their wake.

The team is made up of front-line fast jet pilots who volunteer for a three-year secondment to the Red Arrows. “We get about 30 a year, short list it to nine and then select three to replace three who then return to other duties,” Hawker told Arab News. “When it gets to the short list, we are hair splitting — the standard is extremely high.” The Red Arrows have displayed in the Kingdom before — most recently in Dhahran. Yesterday, however, was the first time in Jeddah and the team dedicated a special maneuver, the Palm Split, to Jeddah city to celebrate. Approaching the assembled dignitaries at 600kph they pulled up into a vertical climb in tight formation, breaking out at altitude into a nine-leaved palm tree, which drew spontaneous applause from the audience.

The team appeared in the new Red Arrows livery which highlights the Royal Air Force logo on the fuselage. “It’s to emphasize the fact that we are representing the Royal Air Force to the people worldwide who come to see us,” said Hawker. The team leaves for Dubai International Air Show today where they will once more bring the crowds to their feet with some simply extraordinary flying.

As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. I’m sharing these articles for informational purposes only. I don’t agree with all of the activities mentioned.

Haneefah

Old Jeddah’s Cultural Village

16/10/2007 By Ali ShraiahJeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat - The celebrations held in Jeddah last 13 October evening marked the advent of Eid ul-Fitr and brought the people together in a festive spirit. The village lies along the coast and has over 60 handicraft shops that sell old traditional wares and approximately 50 other modern shops, in addition to a number of historic buildings and a variety of cultural events. Hassan Mihwil Eissa, who is over 80 years old is a man who has witnessed Jeddah’s transformation, “This is the Old Jeddah in all its beauty and simplicity that you are seeing now,” he said in reference to the heritage village. He recounted stories of skills and crafts from days gone by in the Old City, including how they used to build their own houses. One of the pioneering builders in Old Jeddah, Eissa used to teach construction and building skills and was the head of ‘al Majmoua’ group that was responsible for building Beit Jeddah, a cultural center, in the village. He added that the project took five days and revealed that they used approximately 15,000 stones to complete it. There was a large family presence at the village as many flocked in to shop and celebrate on the day of Eid. “It was very well organized,” said Umm Khaled who was there with her children and added, “but the best thing is that it is open to all.”

 “A five-year plan for basic tourism projects in Jeddah and Taif will be presented within the next few weeks,” he said. Speaking about the Abhur Festival, Sultan said it would be organised as a large-scale national annual festival beginning from Ramadan, the fasting month that is scheduled to start on September 13. “In the coming phase, the focus will be on Taif, which will be developed to become a major tourist attraction. We will also organise agricultural and rose festivals in the city,” he said, and added that the Okaz Souk festival would be launched this year,” he said.