JAKARTA: Indonesia is moving ahead with plans to develop an Indonesian Haj village in Saudi Arabia after becoming the first country to be granted the opportunity to purchase property in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said the government had managed to secure a fairly large area, around 60 hectares, located between one and three kilometres from the Masjidil Haram.
He said there would also be a tunnel that connects Masjidil Haram with the Indonesian Haj village.
"Regarding the Haj village, I need to convey that this stems from our President’s (Prabowo Subianto) close relationship with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, which has made us the first country to be given the opportunity to purchase property in the cities of Makkah and Madinah.
"No other country has received an opportunity like this besides Indonesia, and Alhamdulillah, just last week, the Saudi government also issued an official decision that foreigners are now allowed to purchase land, hotels, and other properties in Makkah and Madinah,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday (Feb 3).
The video of the press conference was uploaded to the official Secretariat of the President’s YouTube account.
Nasaruddin noted that previously, foreign ownership of properties in Saudi Arabia had been permitted only in cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah. - Bernama
