The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques recently photographed the Black Stone at the Holy Kaaba within the Grand Mosque using the stacked panoramic focus methodology.

This is a method in which photos of varying resolution are merged to create a single image of enhanced accuracy and high resolution. This may be the first time the world will get a better view of the Black Stone. The photographs taken are so precise that one can see every detail of the stone with never-before-seen precision.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia has declared that civilians vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to fly abroad beginning May 17, according to the interior ministry, and over a year after Saudis were banned from doing so.

According to the ministry, three groups of individuals will be deemed vaccinated: those who have obtained two doses of the coronavirus vaccine, those of us who have received a single dose at least 14 days before the flight, and those who have healed from the infection during the past six months.

From the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan last month, Saudi Arabia allowed only citizens vaccinated against COVID-19 to undertake the year-round Umrah pilgrimage.

Saudis under the age of 18 – a population that does not obtain vaccinations – will now be permitted to travel beginning May 17, if they have an insurance policy authorized by the central bank, according to a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency.

"The policy to remove the moratorium on people traveling outside Saudi Arabia will commence at 1:00 a.m. on May 17," the ministry said, noting that the kingdom's land, sea, and air boundaries will be reopened.

The initiative is intended to encourage people who have been prohibited from traveling overseas since the outbreak started to get immunized.