The ongoing Two Holy Mosques Exhibition is quite unique, showcasing architectural and historical features of the Two Holy Mosques of the ancient days.
The exhibition, covering an area of 1,200 sq m in a building close to the Kiswah Factory at Umm Joud in Makkah, is designed to suit visitors who are curious to learn about the chronological developments in the history of the Two Holy Mosques.
The exhibition, which opened in 1999, is divided into seven halls. The reception hall, where visitors first enter, is decorated with a replica of the Grand Mosque accompanied by both old and recent photos.
The Grand Mosque hall showcases a Kaaba ladder dating back to 1824. The Kaaba hall showcases models of its kiswah wrapping of the ancient days in addition to its old doors and a pillar, which is believed to have been removed around the 65th year of Hijra.
Another hall houses rare photos including the photos of Makkah and Madinah donated by the late Prince Sultan, former crown prince.
The photos were taken in 1879 and 1890 by Egyptian photographer Sadeq Bek. Another fascinating section of the exhibition is the Manuscripts hall, which showcases a copy of the Othmani Mushaf, which was prepared during the time of the third Caliph Uthman bin Affan, (peace be upon him). The hall also houses some other rare manuscripts of the Holy Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The attractions at the Prophet’s Mosques hall includes a door of the Othmani pulpit dating back to 1589, and other interesting pieces of furniture. The Zamzam hall contains parts of an old top of the Zamzam well, replicas of the well and supplies details about the well.
Another attraction in this hall is a sun dial from 1614, and the first clock installed in the Grand Mosque during the reign of King Abdul Aziz in 1933.
Visitors can view the exhibition in both morning and evening sessions.
Makkah exhibition features historical aspects of Two Holy Mosques
Makkah exhibition features historical aspects of Two Holy Mosques
Lolo Zouai teases new album for 2026
DUBAI: French Algerian singer and songwriter Lolo Zouai this week revealed that her new album has been submitted and is expected to be released later this year.
“2026. ALBUM SUBMITTED. LET’S… GOOO,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a carousel of images of herself.
Fans quickly took to the comments section to congratulate the music sensation.
“OH MY GOD FINALLY!!! I’m so so so excited and proud of you omg, you did that,” one fan wrote, while another said: “some good news i needed this fr.”
Another comment read: “I’m so excited I just shed a tear… 2026 is so gonna be your year boo!!!! SEE U SOON!!”
Zouai’s latest release was in November, when she dropped a new single titled “3AM in San Francisco.” It was the first release of the year.
Zouai captioned her announcement post, “time to hit em with the bilingual,” hinting that the track features lyrics in English and French.
In 2024, Zouai dropped several tracks, including her “Please Hold” EP featuring “jetlag” and “UNHHH,” along with “mute” and “Potential.”
In June 2024, she also announced that she had written a song for K-pop group NewJeans for their Japanese debut.
She captioned the post at the time: “‘Right Now’ by @newjeans_official out now!! Written by me. I’ve been a fan of NewJeans for a while and I’m honored to be a part of their Japanese debut!
Known for her blend of R&B, club-pop and hip-hop, she has gained an international fan base for her dynamic stage presence and genre-blending music.
Her career highlights include the release of a debut album “High Highs to Low Lows” in 2019, which featured 12 tracks, and a follow-up “PLAYGIRL” in 2022, which included 13 tracks.
After the album’s release in October 2022, Zouai was featured on a billboard in New York’s Times Square.
She shared a video of herself posing in front of the billboard with fans. “I always said that one day, I would be on a billboard in Times Square. Today is that day,” she said in the short clip.
“Manifestation and hard work works,” she added.
The singer, who lives between Brooklyn and Los Angeles, embarked on a 30-stop tour for the album in 2023. The tour featured cities in the US, France, Canada, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
