No Zamzam water without passport

April 12, 2015

Jeddah, Apr 12: Zamzam water has a special place in the hearts of Muslims as something revered and unique. Every year millions of pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Haj from outside and inside the country.

Many Muslims drink Zamzam as sacred water that can cure their health problems, but sometimes pilgrims and those who live inside the Kingdom are cheated by illegal venders who sell Zamzam after mixing it with other water and charging extra.

To stop this illegal activity, the National Water Company, under the King Abdullah Project for Zamzam, started supplying packaged and sealed Zamzam at the airports so pilgrims can take it with them according to rules set by civil aviation authorities to allow only five-liter bottles available for SR9 each.

Travelers and pilgrims can purchase the water at the airport but they have to show their passport to purchase Zamzam water and only one bottle per passport is allowed.

Jeddah resident Hasan Ahmed told Arab News that recently Makkah police raided a factory which used to bottle and market regular tap water as Zamzam. After reading a number of fake Zamzam water stories on social media, he decided to buy packaged Zamzam from the airport as it is officially packaged by the National Water Company.

“I went to buy Zamam at the airport but was dismayed because the man at the booth refused to sell me the water unless I showed him my passport. As I was not a traveler I did not have my passport with me,” said Ahmed.

Another domestic pilgrim, Hafiz Abdulrhman, said he could carry Zamzam water from Makkah but the airline will not allow him to check it in as it is not sealed or boxed.

“I came from Riyadh without my passport. In such a situation, I am unable to take any Zamzam back as they ask for passport. As for the one Zamzam bottle per passport — it is not fair. Before, pilgrims were allowed 10 liters and now they can carry only five liters. Many come here only once in their lives,” he said.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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