Motawif pilgrimage company delivers Hajj services to 130,000 pilgrims
Motawif pilgrimage company delivers Hajj services to 130,000 pilgrims/node/2120976/saudi-arabia
Motawif pilgrimage company delivers Hajj services to 130,000 pilgrims
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The Motawif Pilgrims for Southeast Asian Countries Co. successfully provided a full range of Hajj services for 130,000 pilgrims from Asia during this year’s pilgrimage. (Mohammed Almanea/AN)
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The Motawif Pilgrims for Southeast Asian Countries Co. successfully provided a full range of Hajj services for 130,000 pilgrims from Asia during this year’s pilgrimage. (Marwan Fatani/AN)
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The Motawif Pilgrims for Southeast Asian Countries Co. successfully provided a full range of Hajj services for 130,000 pilgrims from Asia during this year’s pilgrimage. (Marwan Fatani/AN)
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The Motawif Pilgrims for Southeast Asian Countries Co. successfully provided a full range of Hajj services for 130,000 pilgrims from Asia during this year’s pilgrimage. (Abdullah Alfaleh/AN)
Motawif pilgrimage company delivers Hajj services to 130,000 pilgrims
Updated 12 July 2022
Rahaf Jambi
MAKKAH: The Motawif Pilgrims for Southeast Asian Countries Co. successfully provided a full range of Hajj services for 130,000 pilgrims from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines during this year’s pilgrimage.
The company is a specialist in providing Hajj and Umrah packages, and works closely with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah every year to ensure the best possible experience for its customers.
Ehsan A. Bouges, an official with the company, said that the company was subdivided into a number of units to oversee different areas of the pilgrimage.
“The program consists of a group of units, and each unit has a role, like the food unit, the Jamarat crowd control unit, the Makkah housing unit, the holy sites housing unit, the public affairs unit, (and) the grouping, transport, reception, and departure units,” he said.
One pilgrim, named Sirwati, came from Indonesia with her husband to perform Hajj.
She told Arab News: “I was very surprised when I set foot on the land of Arafat. The feeling was amazing, and the company did a great job; everything was well organized and neat.”
Another Indonesian pilgrim, named Andry, said: “I am very happy and very grateful that this company has prepared everything and no one has (gone without).”
Saying goodbye to Makkah after performing Hajj, Malaysian pilgrim Abdul Jalil told Arab News: “I feel happy because God chose me to perform the Hajj, and I feel that I will leave my heart here in Makkah and return to my home, always remembering this event.”
Jeddah students get closer look at electric motorsport
A PIF-linked initiative highlights technical and engineering careers behind electric racing events
Updated 24 January 2026
SALEH FAREED
JEDDAH: Students from local and international schools in Jeddah were introduced to STEM-related career pathways in electric motorsport this week, as part of an education program linked to the UIM E1 World Championship held on the Red Sea.
The sessions formed part of Driving Force Presented by the Public Investment Fund, an initiative run by Formula E and its electric racing series partners, to familiarize students aged eight to 18 with science, technology, engineering and mathematics through electric racing and sustainability-focused industries.
The sessions for students formed part of Driving Force Presented by the Public Investment Fund, an initiative run by Formula E and its electric racing series partners. (Supplied)
The programme took place alongside the 2026 E1 Jeddah GP and included workshops, school visits and trackside access designed to show how engineering, data, broadcast technology and event operations function within professional motorsport.
According to organisers, the initiative reached more than 60,000 students globally in 2025, with further expansion planned this year.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The program took place alongside the 2026 E1 Jeddah GP and included workshops, school visits and trackside access.
• Students learned about E1 races and their technical and environmental dimensions and discussed the engineering and marine aspects of electric boats.
• According to organisers, the initiative reached more than 60,000 students globally in 2025, with further expansion planned this year.
John Williams, managing director at E1, told Arab News: “The PIF is absolutely vital to everything we do here at the E1. They were crucial initial investment partner since the start of the championship and they continue to support us in a number of ways and more specifically around the Driving Force program.”
The sessions for students formed part of Driving Force Presented by the Public Investment Fund, an initiative run by Formula E and its electric racing series partners. (Supplied)
Elaborating more on the program, he said: “What we are doing is presenting and showing these students the available careers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as careers in sports, not only pilots but also engineers and mechanics.”
Williams added that the main key to the program was bringing a new generation to the mechanism of sport.
“We are introducing to these exciting new technologies around the race but it could be our technology on the boat or our broadcast products, as well as how to manage the event its self. There are a range of opportunities to show it to the children in addition to enjoying the excitement of the race and meeting the pilots.”
The program’s Jeddah activities began at King Abdulaziz University’s faculty of maritime studies, where students took part in a hands-on workshop focused on STEM careers in the motorsport and sustainability areas conducted by technology experts and famous water pilots such as Dani Clos, Emma Kimilainen and Patricia Pita.
Students learned about E1 races and their technical and environmental dimensions and discussed the engineering and marine aspects of electric boats.
They also enjoyed exclusive behind-the-scenes access at the E1 Jeddah GP, pilot meet-and-greets, and front-row seats to watch the RaceBird boats in action.
