Morocco just became the 2nd Arab country with visa free entry to Qatar

Joining Lebanon.
Doha Qatar
Residents relaxing in Doha Source: WikiMedia

Morocco became the only second Arab country to be granted visa free entry to Qatar this week, joining Lebanon, according to Middle East Eye.

Although other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries still, in theory, have visa free access to the emirate, Gulf nations – led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE – have boycotted Qatar since June. The Gulf countries, joined by Egypt, have blockaded Doha economically as well as diplomatically, accusing the small nation of supporting terrorism.

In response, Qatar has been opening its borders, allowing visa free access to a growing list of more than 80 countries. When the decision was announced in August, many Arabs were quick to point out that Qatar had not included any Arab nations to the list.

Lebanese were granted visa-free entry to Qatar earlier in the year, back in June.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Than made the announcement upon meeting a Moroccan delegation in Doha on Tuesday.

When Qatar opened up its borders dramatically this summer, officials said the decision would make the emirate the "most open country in the region" to foreign visitors.

"Easing entry to Qatar is a key enabler for the growth of Qatar’s tourism industry. With this announcement we are already turning the pages of the Next Chapter of Qatar’s journey towards 2030," Hassan al-Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development officer at Qatar Tourism Authority said, according to Reuters.

"There is no doubt that facilitating and streamlining access at all ports of entry are key factors in creating a positive first and lasting impression of Qatar."

An astronaut shared these incredible photos of Mecca from space

As you've never seen the sacred city before.

Late on Tuesday, international Russian astronaut Sergey Ryazanskiy shared captivating images of Saudi Arabia's Mecca, taken from space. 

Captioning his post, Ryazanskiy wrote:

"The holiest place in the Islamic world. #Mecca is beautiful both day and night. Impossible to confuse it with any other city in the world even from space."

And the images are quite stunning: 

Mecca from space

Another angle

Not the only Arab city captured by Ryazanskiy

The astronaut travels the world and captures images from space, sharing stills via his Instagram page. 

He has previously shared astonishing images of Arab cities other than Mecca and they include: 

Baghdad, Iraq

Tunis, Tunisia

Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Another stunning still from Saudi

Cairo, Egypt

Oran, Algeria

Yemen