The owners are objecting to the amount of cash per square meter they have been offered by a special committee set up under a royal decree to assess the value of property close to the Grand Mosque. Court sources said several complaints have been received and that those compensated are objecting to the SR30,000 they have been offered per square meter. The real estate owners say they want to be treated the same as other owners who have been offered between SR80,000 and SR160,000 per square meter.

The sources added that one owner has demanded SR1 million per square meter as his property is in extreme close proximity to the Grand Mosque.

The complaints have been passed on to an independent commission of experts that will decide how much the owners should receive. The case is expected to draw to a close within six months. The committee set up to assess the value of land for the expansion of the northern courtyards of the Grand Mosque is the sole administrative body entrusted to acquire land and compensate owners.

It works independently from the Makkah municipality.