The very mention of the word “Zamzam” evokes a feeling of awe in the hearts of the faithful. Zamzam water is considered holy in Islam. It is found in a 30 meter well in the basement of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, about 20 meters east of the Ka’aba. The water is believed to possess healing qualities, and is treated with reverence by all Muslims.
The Saudi government takes special measures to ensure there is an uninterrupted supply of the water to the Two Holy Mosques all year round, and to pilgrims during the Hajj and Umrah seasons. In addition to the King Abdullah Zamzam Water Project, the Zamzam bottling plant operates with a separate mission under the United Office of Zamazemah in Makkah.
Zamzam water is bottled and distributed by the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Zamzam Water Project, which is operated by the National Water Co., and whose new bottling plant can produce up to 30,000 liters per hour.
The construction of the new plant began in 2014. Originally consisting of two production lines, a third was added in 2017, which massively increased production capacity. With the water being dispensed into 200 milliliter bottles, it means that the plant can produce well in excess of 150,000 bottles per hour. The bottles are then distributed to pilgrims upon arrival in Makkah, and, under the Zamzam Water Additional Services program, are also made available near the central area of Makkah’s Grand Mosque and in other holy places,such as Mina and Arafat.
(Gulf News)

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree on July 10 to formally declare the Hagia Sophia as a mosque, minutes after Turkey’s administrative court annulled a 1934-dated decision that paved the way for the use of the 15-century-old structure as a museum.
Erdoğan’s decree cited the Council of State’s verdict as the basis of his move for the transfer of the powers concerning the use of the Hagia Sophia to the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet).
Crowds were observed to be gathered in front of the Hagia Sophia after news broke out on the status change.
The court based its verdict on the fact that the Hagia Sophia was a property of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Han Foundation and registered to be used only as a mosque. The decision to grant a status of museum to the Hagia Sophia was given by former President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1934. The reasoning of the Council of State stressed that the government in 1934 had no powers to change the status of the religious structure.
The matter of Hagia Sophia’s status came up when Turkey marked the 567th anniversary of the conquest on May 29 by reading passages from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in the Hagia Sophia.
Erdoğan had proposed restoring the mosque status of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, a building at the heart of both the Christian Byzantine and Muslim Ottoman empires and today one of Turkey’s most visited monuments.

Cairo: Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Dr. Khaled Al-Anani announced a new archaeological discovery in the Saqqara site in Giza, which was carried out by the Egyptian Archaeological Mission headed by Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Mostafa Waziri.
The mission found 59 well-preserved and sealed wooden coffins inside three burial shafts at different depths ranging from 10 to 12 meters. The coffins, sealed more than 2,500 years ago, date back to the Late Period of ancient Egypt, from about the sixth or seventh century BC.
Dr. Al-Anani described the dramatic find as an important event as it highlights Egypt’s uniqueness in its diversity that many countries of the world do not possess. He noted the participation of nearly 60 ambassadors and their families from 43 friendly countries in the announcement of this archaeological discovery, which reflects their full support for Egyptian tourism and antiquities. (UNA-OIC)

Nur-Sultan: Kazakhstani scientists developed a technology to make bio-compatible surgical and dental glue, the Science Committee of the Kazakh Education and Science Ministry reports.
The genetic engineering laboratory of the National Centre of Biotechnologies of the Science Committee of the Kazakh Education and Science Ministry led by Alexander Shustov, Ph.D., Biology, developed the technology to derive bio-compatible surgical and dental glue.
They claim that it exhibits high bonding strength that is 100 times higher than fibrin surgical glue.
It is the first adhesive with real prospects that will be used during dental and surgical procedures fully developed in Kazakhstan. (UNA)

A significant invention in the field of biotechnology has been made in which the scientists have created a new artificial skin.

Saudi scientists have made artificial skin which is not only durable and flexible but also sensitive to touch and other necessary human elements of responsivity. Scientists’ newly created unique sensitive skin can be used in artificial organs, and its feature of automatic repair is an exciting new prospect. Interestingly this synthetic skin can repair itself 5,000 times.
Notable scientists have labeled it the ‘electronic skin.’ Researcher Dr. Yichen Cai, who contributed to the invention, said, The ideal e-skin will mimic the many natural functions of human skin, such as sensing temperature and touch, accurately and in real-time.
However, making suitably flexible electronics that can perform such delicate tasks while also enduring the bumps and scrapes of everyday life is challenging, and each material involved must be carefully engineered. This research has been performed by scientists at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.