Saudi making 10,000 Saudis homeless

Locals are being uprooted to make way for regional development by a real estate company

January 30, 2020

The residents of Sharaya Al-Nakhel reiterated their appeal to the Emir of Mecca and his deputy to save them from the possible removal of the houses they have inhabited for decades. Some of them have extracted deeds and arguments for persistence, and some of them undertook the procedures related to this matter including the announcement through newspapers, while no one objected.

The residents continued their demands through a hashtag that was trending in Saudi Arabia during the past hours (removal of Sharaya Al-Nakhel in Mecca), and they said that they have legal deeds on their sites, and about 10,000 people live in them. They added: “We have real estate loans on them, and they include deeds dating back to 1298 Hijri, in addition to the presence of a centre of the Emirate for eighty years, a health centre, a complex of boys and girls schools and complete services.”

Muhammad Al-Maliki said: Things have reached the granting of ownership of more than 4 million meters for a company over the entire Sharaya Al-Nakhel neighbourhood in Mecca, and for the displacement of the village’s 10,000 residents.

Obaid Al-Huthali clarified that the residents of Sharaya Al-Nakhel have been there for more than 100 years, and their mud houses are still proof and are still standing to date. More than 10,000 people live in this neighbourhood today, and the High Sharia Sciences Primary School was established in 1369 Hijri, which is considered one of the oldest schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Mayor of the Holy Capital, Eng. Muhammad Al-Quwaihes, revealed that the houses owned by citizens under legal deeds in Sharaya Al-Nakhelneighbourhood will not be removed.

This comes following a dispute over ownership between a company and the residents of the Sharaya Al-Nakhel neighbourhood.

Al-Quwaihes stressed that all those who have legal deeds and the company’s deed will be referred to the Ministry of Justice for legal consideration, and the legal verdict will be implemented.

He pointed out that what is currently taking place is a committee formed by an order of the emirate from a number of official bodies to define the boundaries of the company’s deed and to set indicators, as part of solving the problem of the overlapping deeds.

“The Municipality hopes that all citizens will cooperate with the committee to solve the problem in a regular way and within the directives of His Highness, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Mecca Region. In addition, electricity will not be cut off from houses whose owners have legal deeds.