HRH Khaled al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah and Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, met with the UQU President, Dr. Bakri bin Maatouq Assas, Monday, Shawwal 13, 1437H. During the meeting, held at Makkah Emirate Headquarters, Dr. Assas presented two books to the Emir.

The first book is entitled: "Prince Faisal as Viceroy in Hijaz under the Reign of King Adbdul Aziz (1344-1373H)". It was issued by King Salman Chair for Makkah History Studies. The second book is: "The Digital Illustrated Atlas of Makkah and Holy Environs: 6th - Mid 15th Hijri Century". That is to be added to the "UQU Record of Achievements under the National Comprehensive Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation 2013". Attending the meeting were Dr. Thamer al-Harbi, UQU Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, Dr. Abulaziz Sorouji, Vice President for Educational Affairs, and a number of the other UQU senior officials.

Dr. Assas valued the continued support and keen interest shown by Prince Khaled al-Faisal in Umm al-Qura University (UQU), with all the innovative, cultural and scientific activities it carries out for the sake of the community.

"UQU has a myriad of academic, creative and epistemological programs that go in line with the Saudi Vision 2030," said Assas. "Being located in the heart of Makkah, only meters from the Meccan Sanctuary, aside from its outstanding research and consultative cadres experienced in Hajj and Umrah services, UQU has managed to transform pilgrimage services into innovative products. There are 21 patents so far, to be materialized into tangible products for the sake of pilgrims." 

Dr. Assas went on to say that the University accommodates several institutes and research centers, covering a wide range of research areas; to be added to the research chairs (cathedra), now amounting to 8. In collaboration with the private sector and businessmen, these institutes, centers and chairs provide research services in such areas as Qura'n sciences, medicine, creativity, entrepreneurship, Makkah history studies and humanities, as well as slum development studies. 

For his part, the Supervisor of King Salman Chair for Makkah History Studies, Dr. Abdullah al-Sharif, thanked HRH Emir of Makkah. He expounded that the book titled: "Prince Faisal as Viceroy in Hijaz under the Reign of King Adbdul Aziz (1344-1373H)" unfolds the history of Hijaz in a pivotal juncture of King Abdulaziz reign. It reveals the reasons why King Abdulaziz chose Prince Faisal to be viceroy of Hijaz.

Also, it provides an account of his personal traits and leadership factors, as well as the political approach he embraced, and his role in addressing the national and international situations that arose in the wake of Hijaz annexation, as well as the political and administrative posts he undertook besides his being viceroy. According to Dr. al-Sharif, the book touched also on Prince Faisal's leading political and military roles, as well as representing the Kingdom before international fora, not to forget his contributions to founding the Arab League and the United Nations.

Al-Sharif went on to expound that the book highlighted the administrative developments and cultural achievements witnessed by Hijaz under Prince Faisal's reign, covering all walks of life: health, education, communication and transportation, security, judiciary, construction, etc.

Within the same vein, Dr. Me'raj Merza, a UQU faculty member, and author of "The Digital Illustrated Atlas of Makkah and Holy Environs: 6th - Mid 15th Hijri Century," made clear that what's special about this edition is that it provides a "swift response code" that links many photos to their locations as defined by satellites. The code refers to the location of bygone buildings, as well as the sources (global archives, libraries, museums, etc) where to find genuine photos, paints, etc. This version, as such, could be used by smart phones and apps.

For his part, Dr. Faisal bin Ahmed Allaf, Dean of UQU Scientific Research and Director of the Science and Technology Unit, stated that the "UQU Record of Achievements under the National Comprehensive Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation 2013" sheds light on the the global trends towards a knowledge economics and innovation. It is largely regarded as the starting point towards transformation from the Kingdom's economy depending on oil and natural resources to a knowledge-based economy, by way of localizing and developing strategic technologies.

"The UQU's sought-after vision," he said, "is to develop, achieve and sustain measures of comprehensive quality assurance, and assess progress as per the key performance indicators (KPIs) defined by the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation. That is to be added to increasing the economic returns and social benefits, raising awareness, and facilitating awarding of research grants and scholarships." 

Dr. Al-Allaf mentioned that, in 2013, 24 research projects in the field of strategic technologies were funded, at a total cost of SAR 40 million. Moreover, four operational projects, costing SAR 206 million, were submitted.

He added that, according to a report issued by the American Association for the Advancement of Science under the title: "Analysis of the National Comprehensive Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation 2012", the UQU Science and Technology Unit ranked fourth out of 54 KSA units. This report, Al-Allafr indicated, culminated the colossal research efforts made over the past six years, with unstinting support from the UQU President, Dr. Bakri bin Maatouq Assas, and the Science and Technology Unit staff and researchers.

As the meeting drew to a close, HRH the Emir of Makkah was handed out a souvenir: a rare photo that dates back to 1357H Hajj season, featuring the late King Abdulaziz with his guests witnessing Eid Al-Adha celebrations in Mina.