His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday attended a ceremony marking the Hijri New Year, held by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs at the cultural centre of the King Abdullah I Mosque.

During the ceremony, attended by Their Royal Highness Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein and Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein, King Abdullah honoured distinguished students and supervisors from summer centres for Holy Quran memorisation and recital, affiliated with the awqaf ministry, which participated in an initiative to promote positive moral values in society as part of Urdon Al Nakhwa campaign.

In remarks at the ceremony, Awqaf Minister Abdul Nasser Abul Basal highlighted the significance of the occasion of Hijra and the attention given by His Majesty to youth and their education.

The ceremony included a religious chant performed by participants in the Quran summer school, and the screening of a documentary on the values embodied in the immigration of Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, to Medina Munawara from Mecca.

The Quran summer school programme, launched in June as part of Urdon Al Nakhwa initiative at centres affiliated with the awqaf ministry in governorates around the Kingdom, aimed to promote tolerance and positive values.

The programme saw the enrolment of 106,530 students between the ages of 8 and 16 at 2,100 centres around the Kingdom.

Senior officials and officers, lawmakers, heads of security agencies, diplomats, and several Royal Hashemite Court officials attended the ceremony.