MAKKAH’S HOLY MOSQUE OPENS NEW MATAF

Makkah, 7 Rajab 1436/26 April 2015 (MINA) – Catering to the growing number of Muslim worshipper travelling to the holy land, the expansion of the mataf, or circumambulation area around the Kaaba, will be opened in Ramadan, with a capacity for 100,000 worshipers an hour.

“We are currently working on utility buildings, which include government offices, the operations room, the headquarters of the security authorities, health department, Red Crescent, Civil Defense, and other related offices,” said Al-Qurashi, director of project management at the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, On Islam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“About 95 percent of such buildings have been completed.”

According to Al-Qurashi, the latest expansion will include completing the third phase of the project like the floors of the basement, ground and first floor.

Squares, praying areas and toilets in the northern area of the Grand mosque will be ready by Ramadan too.

Extending from a point 200 meters North West of the Kaaba to a further 458 meters, the expansion on the Shami side of the mosque aims to accommodate more than a million worshipers.

Covering 75,000 square meters, the expansion will include an integrated service station, environmentally friendly air-conditioning system, water tanks, waste disposal systems, centralized cleaning system, and 12,500 toilets.

As part of the new extensions provided at Islam’s holiest shrine, hundreds of sunshades were installed in the courtyards of Al-Masjid al-Haram in the holy city of Makkah.

Al-Masjid al-Haram is Islam’s holiest shrine and home to the Ka`bah, the direction Muslims take during prayers.

Over the past few years, the Saudi government has championed several projects to develop and expand Makkah to help more pilgrims perform Hajj and Umrah with ease.

In November 2009, Riyadh declared it has completed a five-storey hi-tech Jamarat Bridge to ensure a smooth flow of millions of pilgrims during the pelting ritual of the annual hajj.

The bridge has 10 entrances and 12 exits over its four levels to allow the flow of 300,000 pilgrims per hour. It is also equipped with technology to help authorities intervene in case of any deadly stampedes during the stoning ritual.

Other projects were also performed to expand the area on top of the holy Mount `Arafat, develop the sewage and fire-fighting systems and upgrade health and transportation services. (T/P006/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)