Saudi Arabia launches Persian Hajj TV
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MAKKAH: (APP) Saudi Arabia has launched Persian-language television broadcasts from this year's Hajj, the information minister said on Sunday.
Minister of Information and Culture Adel al-Turaifi said the 24-hour satellite channel would cover Hajj rituals and prayers from the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
"The channel aims to broadcast the message of the Hajj, the eternal meanings of Islam and to show what is being provided by the kingdom" during the pilgrimage, the Saudi Press Agency quoted Turaifi as saying.
It targets "Persian-language speakers, whose number is estimated at 130 million all over the world," he said.
Persian, also know as Farsi, is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
The Persian-language channel also has radio and Internet services, Turaifi said.
With 60 staff, the channel began broadcasts on Saturday evening and will continue until Wednesday, officially the last day of the Hajj, which has drawn more than 1.8 million faithful.
