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Religious Affairs Ministry rents 367 houses for Indonesian pilgrims in Saudi

NU Online  ·  Rabu, 19 September 2007 | 11:00 WIB

Jakarta, NU Online
The Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry has rented 367 houses in Saudi Arabia to accommodate 194 Indonesian haj pilgrims in the 2007 haj pilgrimage, an official said.

"For the accommodation of Indonesian haj pilgrims in Mecca, the distance from the Haram Mosque is about 500 meters to 2,000 meters, the rented houses are located in Syi’ib Amir, Ja’fariyah, Jumeizah, Sulaimaniah, Syamsiah, Jarwal, Hafair, Misfalah and Jiad Sud. While,  those located in Mahbas Jin Aziziah have a distance of about 2,500 meters from the Mosque," Zakaria Ashar, the ministry?s director in charge of haj and umroh (minor haj) pilgrimage said here on Wednesday.<>

Meanwhile, Religious Affairs Minister Muhammad Maftuh Basyuni said that accommodation was a crucial component in the implementation of haj pilgrimage and a factor in determining the quality of the haj pilgrimage services.

"The renting and distribution of the houses must be carried out very carefully," he was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

He said that Indonesia had to compete with other countries in getting the best possible locations of the accommodation.

For  the accommodation in Madina,  around 70 percent of houses rented for the Indonesian haj pilgrims are located in Markaziyah, about 500 meters from the Nabawi Mosque and the remaining 30 percent are located about 501 to 1000 meters from the Nabawi Mosque. (dar)