Some 200 Muttawifs (Haj Guides), Agents, Adella'a (Madinah Guides) and Zamzama (Zamzam water distributors) have been awarded for their distinguished performance during last year's Haj. Coordination Commission of Pilgrim Guide Establishments (CCPGE) organized the honoring ceremony at the Jeddah Hilton hotel on Thursday night, under the auspices of Minister of Haj Dr. Fouad Bin Abdul Salam Al-Farsy. Honors also went to female guides (Muttawefat) who have worked hard along with their male colleagues over the last Haj season of 1428 to make the sublime and holy journey of the pilgrims successful. In his welcoming speech, Zuhair Sedayo, head of the administration board of the Southeastern Asia Guides Establishment, said that the Muttawifs were able to achieve such a progress in the pilgrims' services with long-term strategic planning and future vision. “It is such a splendid honor these guides have shouldered by devoting themselves to serve the devoted visitors of the most sacred places for Muslims around the world,” said Sedayo. “Only numbers and figures can translate the great achievements those guides have attained.” He added that the accumulated experiences of many years in the service of pilgrims have qualified the Muttawifs to handle around 1,707,842 pilgrims from more than 81 nations who visited the Kingdom last Haj. Farsy, the Minister of Haj, said that it is the government's task now to reward the guides and everyone else who took part in this seasonal, honorable, undertaking. “The whole consecrated journey of Haj takes place during a very limited period of time,” he said. “Thus, well-organized schemes and pouring efforts ought to be implemented to carry out this seasonal Islamic event very effectively and satisfactorily.” “The fruit of astutely ongoing planning has recently led to the establishing of the CCPGE, which has the utmost responsibility of the development of the Guides establishments and the uplifting of pilgrims' services in all sacred sites : Makkah, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and Madinah,” Farsi said. At the end of the ceremony, the CCPGE board awarded the Minister of Haj with a token depicting the two Holy Mosques and the Minister's photo in the middle. __
