Barkah News

 Happiness and thankfulness as Indonesian pilgrims start their Hajj this year JAKARTA: When M. Andra Rachmanda arrived in Madinah at the beginning of June, he was overtaken with emotion as he realised a lifetime desire of performing the Hajj. Rachmanda is one of 241,000 Indonesians who are carrying out the one of Islam's five pillars this year: the pilgrimage. "When I first came in Saudi Arabia, I experienced a mixture of surprise, happiness, and humility. Rachmanda told Arab News, "The atmosphere has a deep spiritual aura, and the air feels different here." "I was extremely moved and appreciative when I eventually went to places of worship like Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah and Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi in Madinah. I was moved and thought it was a dream come true when I first laid eyes on the Kaaba.” Travellers from Indonesia began arriving in Saudi Arabia in mid-May, leaving earlier to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do their religious duty,

 South America's Rock Art Could Have Marked Territory June 5, 2024, a Wednesday                                                                                              Source archaeology.org London, United Kingdom —A recent analysis of rock engravings near the Atures Rapids on the Orinoco River in Colombia and Venezuela indicates that they might have been used to transmit territorial borders more than 2,000 years ago, according to a statement issued by Antiquity. Drone imagery was used by Philip Riris of Bournemouth University and his associates, in collaboration with local guides, to map artworks at 14 sites throughout the river basin.  While some of these rock art locations were found during the research, others were already known to exist. The pictures, which feature representations of snakes longer than 130 feet, are similar to designs found on ceramics found nearby. According to Riris, "we know that anacondas and boas are seen as lethal beings that can kill people a

 On Indonesian Day, Indonesian Missions Provide NSW Australian Students with the Chance to Develop Their Indonesian Language Proficiency Tuesday, June 4th, 2024                                                                                                                                               Source kemlu.go.id In Australia's Sydney The Indonesian Day event was held at the NSW School of Languages in Petersham, NSW, on March 6, and about fifty students from different schools and regions in New South Wales (NSW) Australia attended, including Burwood Girls High School, St. Mary Star of the Sea College, Macarthur Anglican School, and NSW School of Languages. One of the student participants exclaimed, "This event is a lot of fun!" The students engaged in a variety of learning exercises, including listening to alumni share their experiences and reading and writing skill suggestions, listening skill tips, and dictionary skill tips—particularly those addressed in the cu

 The oldest skin in the world preserved in a very rare fossil Written by Michael Irving                                                                            Source newatlas.com The earliest skin fossils that have been found date back much beyond the time of the dinosaurs. The samples, which were discovered in an Oklahoman cave, demonstrate how little reptile scales have altered over the previous 286 million years. Skeletons make up the majority of fossils found in museums, and the explanation is straightforward: because bones take longer to break down than other materials, they have more time to fossilise. We don't often locate soft tissues like skin, muscle, or organs since they often waste away or are consumed by scavengers soon after death. But it is possible in some situations. If you bury it fast enough in the ideal medium, you may find preserved feathered dinosaur tails in amber, a brain that is 133 million years old pickled in bogs, and a nodosaur that still has its sk

 Zoo allows skull selfies with the fossilised woolly rhino Chloe Hughes, West Midlands-based BBC News                                                                       Source bbc.com This weekend is the first-ever fossil festival at the Exotic Zoo in Telford, featuring a woolly rhino skull. The zoo's natural history museum, which opened in 2023, will host the event. It will include new prehistoric artefacts and guest lecturers. The full-size fossilised woolly rhino head and the skeleton of a small herbivorous dinosaur called Jeholosaurus are among the new exhibits. "It's a huge skull," remarked Scott Adams, the director of the zoo. Visitors will be taken on a tour of Earth's history, starting from its formation and ending in the present. "As people make their way around the museum, they can follow the timeline and see exactly what animals were around at each time, how they’ve evolved, how they’ve gone extinct," said Adams. Mr. Adams will be watch

 The Ministerial Declaration of the 10th World Water Forum is a diplomatic win for Indonesia .                                                                                      Source kemlu.go.id Bali, Indonesia - The Ministerial Declaration was approved by the 10th World Water Forum while Indonesia was the chair, marking a significant diplomatic win for Indonesia. Following the 10th WWF Ministerial Meeting, which was attended by 27 international organisations and 106 nations, the Declaration was accepted (21/5). Since November 2023, the Declaration has been discussed via three different processes at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Three priorities were promoted by Indonesia in the Declaration. First, a World Lake Day proposal. Lakes serve as a source of water for people as well as social and economic purposes for society. World Lakes Day observance is not just symbolic; it is also essential to the preservation of lakes worldwide. The second is the creation of a Centre of Excelle

 A Saudi businessman in Al-Baha transforms a farm into a tourist destination                                                                                 Source arabnews.com AL-BAHA: A farmer in the governorate of Al-Mandaq has developed a successful tourism business out of his passion and pastime. Owner of Al-Barouqi Tourist Farm in the governorate, northwest of Al-Baha, Ahmed Al-Barouqi uses the area's natural beauty and mild climate to draw tourists, showcasing its gorgeous valley, mediaeval hamlet, and agricultural terraces.                                                                                 Source arabnews.com Al-Barouqi, the young farmer in Al-Tarf, Wadi Rusba, behind Al-Barouqi Tourist Farm, was interviewed by the Saudi Press Agency. "Having grown up in a family surrounded by farms, I have had a long relationship with agriculture dating back over 27 years," he stated. This gave me the idea to invest in the farm in Al-Tarf village, where we used to c