The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance today concluded the final rounds of the 44th King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorizing, Reciting, and Interpreting the Holy Quran. The final rounds included presentations by 10 contestants representing Yemen, Burkina Faso, Palestine, Iran, Hong Kong, the United States, Burundi, Russia, Congo, and Ethiopia during the last morning session. A total of 109 contestants took the podium over six consecutive days, having qualified for the final rounds at the Grand Mosque from a pool of 174 participants who competed in the preliminary rounds, representing 123 countries. The closing ceremony of the competition is scheduled to take place next Wednesday, August 21, at the Grand Mosque, where the winners in the five categories of the competition will receive cash prizes totaling SAR 4 million. Source: Saudi Press Agency