Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has ordered the biggest expansion in the history of Madinah’s Quba Mosque.
The mosque is the oldest in Islam, dating back to the time of the Prophet Mohammed. It is believed the Prophet himself laid the first stone of the mosque’s structure. It is also where the Qibla, or direction of prayer, was changed from Jerusalem to Makkah.
On a visit to Madinah, the crown prince said the project will include improvements to the area surrounding the mosque, bringing its total area to 50,000 square metres, which is 10 times its current size.
No details were provided on the project’s expected date of completion.
The expansion will also raise the mosque’s capacity to 66,000 worshippers, state news agency SPA reported on Friday.
The crown prince also visited the nearby Prophet’s Mosque and took a tour of the area with the governor of Madinah, his deputy and other officials.
The project is in line with the kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals of serving worshippers and improving the quality of life, state media said.
The mosque will be surrounded by shaded areas for worshippers and developments to the surrounding infrastructure and road network to improve accessibility, said SPA.
There are also plans to tackle congestion issues that worshippers face during peak seasons.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
