lundi 16 juin 2008

Encycolpédie sur le pèlerinage

Encyclopaedia about Hajj to be published

An encyclopaedia detailing everything about Hajj will be launched by the Emir of Riyadh, Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, according to the head of the King Abdul Aziz Museum. The encyclopaedia will also cover the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah.

Prince Salman would also be opening an exhibition on King Abdul Aziz and Makkah at the event, prepared by the King Abdul Aziz Museum, said Fahd al-Simari, the Museum’s secretary general.

The project is being undertaken by the King Abdul Aziz Museum, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj Research in Makkah, the Ministry of Hajj, the General Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education and the Saudi Binladin Group.

Al-Simari, who is heading the project, said that when finished the encyclopaedia would document the history of Hajj from pre-Islamic times to the present day and will detail the location and situation of main cities and pilgrim routes.

It will contain photographs, paintings and maps, and also include input from several historians and researchers, historical documents from the Kingdom and abroad, discourse on terminology and the experiences of pilgrims.

Al-Simari said the encyclopaedia would also include topics about the way the services to pilgrims have developed through the years and that it would become an important source for research.