Saudi Scouts Association issues maps for pilgrims

Muslim pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Makkah on June 11, 2024, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (AFP)
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Updated 13 June 2024
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Saudi Scouts Association issues maps for pilgrims

  • Pilgrims can download the map application from the association’s website at www.scouts.org.sa
  • Several changes to the holy sites and the two central areas in Makkah and Madinah recorded and updated

MAKKAH: The Saudi Arabian Scouts Association has issued detailed and interactive maps to help pilgrims.

The maps include the Mina and Arafat areas, the central area of ​​the Holy Mosque and the Aziziyah neighborhood in Makkah, the entire city of Madinah, the central area of ​​the Prophet’s Mosque, the Al-Naseem neighborhood, and Batha Quraish.

Pilgrims can download the map application from the association’s website at www.scouts.org.sa.

The general leader of the public service camps, Nasser bin Ali Al-Anazi, said this year’s maps were issued after continuous field and office work carried out from an early stage. He praised both the team’s efforts and the support and follow-up that camp volunteers received.

Al-Anazi said several changes to the holy sites and the two central areas in Makkah and Madinah had been recorded and updated. The most important were the new developments in Mina, particularly the new residential towers.

The head of the guide maps committee at the camps, Eng. Waleed Khaled Felemban, said the inclusion of the Al-Naseem neighborhood and Batha Quraish were new this year. He said 150,000 layers were needed for the software used to ensure clear, easy-to-use maps.


King Abdulaziz Foundation reveals rare images from king’s 1916 Basra visit

Updated 20 December 2025
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King Abdulaziz Foundation reveals rare images from king’s 1916 Basra visit

  • Photographs form part of a wider collection documented by British photographer Gertrude Bell

RIYADH: The King Abdulaziz Foundation has revealed archival photographs documenting King Abdulaziz’s tour of the outskirts of Basra in 1916, a visit that came at an early stage of his efforts to build regional relationships.

One of the photographs, taken by British photographer Gertrude Bell, shows King Abdulaziz standing with his men in the Basra desert, the Saudi Press Agency reported. 

The image reflects his early political and diplomatic engagement in the region, as he sought to strengthen ties with neighboring areas and engage with the wider Arab and international community, SPA added.

The photograph forms part of a wider collection documented by Bell, which records key developments and transformations across the Arabian Peninsula during the early 20th century.

The Basra visit holds particular significance in King Abdulaziz’s journey as a unifying leader. 

Rather than crossing borders in pursuit of power, the visit reflected an approach focused on stability, cooperation and long-term regional harmony, laying the groundwork for a leadership style defined by pragmatism and openness, SPA said.