Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 18 Jun 2026, 12:05 PM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia has begun its annual replacement of the Holy Kaaba's Kiswa, with 154 craftsmen installing a new 1,415kg covering of 47 silk panels embroidered with 68 Quranic verses in gold-plated thread.
A wooden platform once placed beside the Black Stone, used by a soldier to direct Tawaf, is now on display at the Exhibition of the Two Holy Mosques' Architecture in Makkah.
Saudi Arabia has reopened Umrah for the 1448 AH season after Hajj 2026, with Nusuk permits resuming on June 10 and a new rule cutting visa entry validity to 30 days.
Bangladesh has published its Hajj 2027 roadmap, asking pilgrims to register by September 26, 2026, with visas starting January 28 and the pilgrimage expected on May 15, 2027.
Pilgrims arriving in Madinah after Hajj are visiting the historic Quba Mosque, the first mosque in Islam, where praying after wudu carries the reward of an Umrah according to authentic hadith.
The Prophet's Mosque Library in Madinah has opened to pilgrims arriving after Hajj, offering access to around 4,000 original manuscripts and more than 250 rare handwritten copies of the Qur'an.
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