Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Governor of Makkah Province, recently felicitated organisations that contributed to the overwhelming success of the “First Islamic Competition for the Beautification of Makkah”, which was held under his patronage and support. Accordingly Sheikh Ziad Bin Mahfouz, President of Elaf Group of companies for travel, tourism and hotels – which was the platinum sponsor of the initiative - for its contribution towards the success of the competition. The award ceremony was hosted at the “Abrak Al Rughamah Museum” in the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center in Jeddah, and was attended by H.E. Eng. Osama Al-Bar; Mayor of Makkah, H.E. Dr. Eng. Mohamed Said Farsi; the former Mayor of Jeddah Province, and H.E. Osama Al Khuraigi; Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Competition, in addition to Sheikh Ziad Bin Mahfouz, and Mr. Suhail Al Kadhi, who attended on behalf of the Elaf Group. Commenting on this event, Bin Mahfouz said, “This competition is a significant event especially since it highlights the history and heritage of Makkah, one of the holiest cities for Muslims that also reflects the history of Islam in general and Saudi Arabia in particular. This initiative aims to transform the holy city of Makkah into a showcase of Islamic art and underline the city’s historic significance especially from a religious and cultural perspective.” “We also would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal for presenting Elaf Group with this award for our active participation as the platinum sponsor of this competition and for our contribution to its success. Certainly, this recognition will motivate us to continue supporting various social initiatives that aim to preserve the local heritage and culture, while reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s position as the most prominent religious, economic, and tourist destination,” he added. The objective of the competition was to spread the art culture through paintings that depict the Islamic heritage of the holy city of Makkah. In all 12 paintings had been chosen out of the 306 works of art submitted from 22 countries including: KSA, Yemen, Qatar, Iraq, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, Malaysia, China, India, Italy, and USA.
