Saudi Arabia: Eid holidaymakers head to Madinah and Jeddah

October 4, 2014

Jeddah, Oct 4: Many citizens and residents are using the Eid holidays to spend time in Madinah and Jeddah.

Saudis have also gone to Dubai for the vacation, while expatriates have headed heading home to their loved ones.

In the downtown area of Balad in Jeddah, many bachelor expatriates were seen on Thursday taking taxis and Saudi Transport Company buses to their destinations.

However, sources said that many tour operators had canceled trips to Madinah because there was little accommodation available and a shortage of buses because of the Haj. Dhul Hijjah 1 to 10 are considered one of the peak holiday periods in the Kingdom.

Most expatriates prefer to stay close to the Prophet's Mosque on Qurban Road where furnished apartments and other informal operators charge between SR600 and SR700 for a room accommodating a family of four. This has been a 100 percent hike from SR300 before the holidays.

“A few weeks ago I rented two rooms for SR350 for a relative from Riyadh, but now I'm paying SR750,” said Rashid Puli, a social worker and long-term resident of Madinah.

Opposite the Prophet's Mosque in Abizar Street, owners of furnished apartments have also hiked their prices by 100 percent and are charging SR750 for a single room.

Many Asian expatriates who have been running accommodation businesses in the Sultana area will see their buildings demolished to make way for the expansion of the Prophet's Mosque.

Meanwhile, those heading to Jeddah can expect to find some entertainment and relaxation at the corniche.

The municipality has also made elaborate arrangements for Eid prayers at 247 musallahs and mosques in various locations in the city including the waterfront area. It has also cleaned up parks and other public areas for Eid.

“Eid is the only occasion that I can step out with my siblings and enjoy the atmosphere at a musallah,” said Reem Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi student.

“I really enjoy attending Eid prayers at these areas with my family,” said Nashra Rania, who is from India.

Noormian, a Bangladeshi expatriate, told Arab News that he would be celebrating by sacrificing, skinning and cleaning a sheep.

Mohammed Al-Boqmi, spokesperson of Jeddah Municipality, said that 6,000 workers would be deployed to clean public areas.

There would be Eid prayers at three mosques at the corniche. Fatima Zahra Mosque in North Obhur and Al-Anani mosque at the corniche are popular for Eid prayers.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance in Jeddah has said that Eid sermons would be delivered at all the selected mosques and musallahs in the city. Talal Al-Aqeel, director of the ministry in Jeddah, said there would be Eid prayers at 42 musallahs.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

UN condemns Israeli regime’s ‘organized torture’ against Palestinians

News Network

November 30,2025

The United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) has condemned the Israeli regime for enforcing a policy of “organized torture” against Palestinians.

In a report published on Friday, CAT stated that the occupying regime enforces a deliberate policy of “organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment” against Palestinian abductees, particularly since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.

The committee expressed “deep concern over repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, water-boarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence” inflicted on Palestinians.

Palestinian prisoners were degraded by “being made to act like animals or being urinated on,” systematically denied medical care, and subjected to excessive restraints, “in some cases resulting in amputation,” the report added.

CAT also condemned the routine application of “unlawful combatants law” to justify the prolonged detention without trial of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian and international human rights groups, with 3,474 Palestinians in “administrative detention,” meaning they are imprisoned without trial for indefinite periods.

The report highlighted the “high proportion of children who are currently detained without charge or on remand,” noting that while Israel sets the age of criminal responsibility at 12, even younger children have been abducted.

Children designated as security prisoners face severe restrictions on family contact, may be subjected to solitary confinement, and are denied access to education, in clear violation of international law.

The committee further suggested that Israel’s policies across the Occupied Territories constitute collective torture against the Palestinian population.

“A range of policies adopted by Israel in the course of its continued unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading living conditions for the Palestinian population,” the report said.

On Thursday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned the systematic killing and torture of Palestinian abductees in Israeli prisons, urging international action to halt these abuses.

Citing human rights data, Hamas stated that 94 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli prisons since the start of Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“This reflects an organized criminal approach that has turned these prisons into direct killing grounds to eliminate our people,” the resistance movement said.

Hamas called on the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to immediately pressure Israel to end crimes against prisoners and uphold their rights as guaranteed by all international conventions and norms.

Comments