The Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro Line project in Makkah (Mecca) saw a 18.1km line constructed to connect the holy cities of Makkah (Mecca), Arafat, Muzdalifa and Mina. The line provides transport for about 3.5 million people who arrive at Makkah (Mecca) annually to perform Hajj. The number is expected to increase to five million in future. Construction of the monorail project has helped to solve the problem of heavy traffic congestion in the holy cities during the Hajj period and meet the transportation needs of the local people . Master plans drawn up by Mono Metro show that five monorails need to be constructed to handle the flow of pilgrims to the holy cities.

"The Makkah monorail project has been one of many undertaken by Saudi Arabia to expand its railway network."Based on the need to transport pilgrims from Mina to Arafat a four-line parallel loop network was developed. The line can transport about 500,000 pilgrims in six to eight hours. It has also allowed authorities to reduce the number of buses needed to transport pilgrims from 70,000 to 25,000.

The first phase of the project includes the four-line loop with a network of pick-up and drop-off stations between Mina and Arafat. The first of the five new metro lines started operating with Automatic Train Protection at 35% capacity by November 2010. By mid-2011, the line will run without a driver but with an attendant on board. The metro will reach full capacity to carry 72,000 passengers in each direction per hour by 2011's Hajj. About 8,000 skilled and unskilled workers, along with 5,000 engineers, were engaged in the project.

The line services Mina, Arafat and Muzdafila, each of which have three substations each. The four-line parallel loop network splits into single tracks covering all the encampment zones in Mina. Mina is the last station on the metro line and is located towards the west of the Jamarat Bridge. The metro line will be linked to all the four floors of the bridge with elevators.

The four-line parallel route moves south towards Arafat before reaching a main station next to the Arafat Mosque and splitting again into a single-line network to carry pilgrims into Arafat. The lines come together again and move towards Muzdelefa, where pilgrims can spend ceremonial time before returning to Mina.

The line runs on a viaduct with the depot located at the end of the trail that is behind the first station in Arafat. A turnaround loop is planned between the last station and the depot.

Studies are being carried out to ascertain the extension of the monorail to a station close to the Grand Mosque in Makkah (Mecca) and linking it with Jeddah airport and the Haramain Railway that connects the two holy cities of Makkah (Mecca) and Madinah. Similar projects are planned for the city of Madinah in the future.

Arabic is one of the most spoken languages in the world with over 200 million speakers. It is spoken in 24 countries and is the official language of all the countries of northern Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and in much of the Middle East, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As the religious language of Islam, it is also the second language of millions of Muslims around the world. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

The Arabic language can be divided into three main categories:

This is the Arabic of Islam's holy book, the Quran (or Koran). It is archaic, which means that it is very old, dating from the late 600's when the Quran was written down. It is used in the Quran and in the holy books of Islam. No one speaks Classical Arabic as a native, nor is it used for conversation. It is learned primarily for reciting and reading the Quran.

This is an updated version of Classical Arabic which is taught in the schools of Arab countries. It is the language of the news, modern literature and education. No one speaks it as a native language but it is used as a common language for people who speak very different varieties of Arabic or by second-language speakers.

There are many local varieties of Arabic, many languages in their own right. The most widely spoken and understood of these is Egyptian Arabic. Other distinct varieties are Iraqi, Levantine (Lebanese/Syrian/Jordanian/Palestinian) and Moroccan Arabic.

Some common Arabic phrases are presented here for your information

A: as in 'had'

E: as in 'bet'

I: as in 'hit'

O: as in 'hot'

U: as in 'put'

I: ana

You (sg): inta/inti (m/f)

He: huwa

She: hiya

We: nahnu

You (pl): untum/inti (m/f)

They: uhum

Hello: as-salam alaykum

Hello (response): wa alaykum e-salam

Goodbye (person leaving): ma'a salama

Goodbye (person staying): alla ysalmak

Good morning: sabaH ala-kheir

Good afternoon: masa' al-kheir

Good night: tisbaH ala-kheir

Welcome: ahlan wa sahlan OR marHaba

Yes: aiwa/na'am

No: la

Maybe: mumkin

Please: min fadhlik

Thank you: shukran

You're welcome: afwan

Excuse me: lo tismaH

OK: tayib

No problem: mafi mushkila

How are you?: kef Halak?

Fine thanks: zein al-Hamdulillah

What's your name?: shismak?

My name is?: ismi ?

I understand: ana fahim

I don't understand: la afham

I speak?: ana atakallam ?

Do you speak?: titkallam ??

English: inglizi

French: fransawi

German: almani

I don't speak Arabic: ma-atakallam arabi

Where is (the)??: wein (al-) ??

Airport: al-matar

Bus stop: mokaf al-bas

Bus station: maHattat al-bas

Taxi stand: maHattat tax

Bus: bas

Car: sayyara

Horse: Hsan

Camel: jamal

Taxi: tax

Address: onwan

Street: shari'

Number: raqam

City: madina

 Here: hni

There: hnak

Next to: yam

Opposite: gbal/mgabel

Behind: wara

To: min

Entry: dukhol

Exit: khuruj

Toilets (men): Hammam lirrijal

Toilets (women): Hammam linnisa'a

Hospital: mustashfa

Police: shurta

Monday: yom al-idhnayn

Tuesday: yom al-dhaladh

Wednesday: yom al-arba'

Thursday: yom al-khamis

Friday: yom al-jama'a

Saturday: yom as-sabt

Sunday: yom al-Had

Zero: sifr

One: waHid

Two: idhnin

Three: dhladha

Four: arba'a

Five: khamsa

Six: sitta

Seven: sab'a

Eight: dhimania

Nine: tis'a

Ten: ashra