Makkah, September 20, 2022, SPA – On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region, will patronize tomorrow a ceremony to honor winners of the 42nd King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorizing, Reciting and Interpreting the Holy Quran, which was organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, represented by the Secretariat General of the Holy Quran local and international competition at the Grand Holy Mosque. Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and Supervisor General of the Competition Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh noted that this international competition, which holds the name of the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been receiving over decades the support and interest of the wise leadership of this country whose leaders have taken the responsibility of caring for the Holy Quran and the biography of Prophet Mohammed – peace be upon him – which represent an unaltered constitution and approach for this blessed nation. In a statement on the occasion, he voiced his gratitude and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his care and sponsoring this competition that has witnessed several qualitative leaps and developments during his reign. The international competition has seen the participation of the elite of memorizers of the Holy Quran from 111 countries and embodies the continuous Quranic giving for this country in a way that matches the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's status as the place of the revelation. The total amount of awards for the current version of the competition stands at SAR 2.7 million, where its initial qualification lasted between Safar 14 and 16, 1444 Hijri and was held at the residences of the 153 participants from 111 countries, which saw the qualification of 96 for the finals. The all-time number of contestants in the competition since its inception exceeded 6,453 people from various countries of the world. --SPA 14:16 LOCAL TIME 11:16 GMT 0014 www.spa.gov.sa/w1787062