MAKKAH, 28 February 2007 — The General Presidency for the Holy Mosques Affairs plans to construct a pedestrian bridge over the southern courtyard of the Haram Mosque in Makkah, according to Sheikh Saleh Al-Hosain, president of the organization that looks after the two holy mosques.
Al-Hosain was speaking to Arab News yesterday about the preparations that were being carried out in the runup to the Umrah season.
He said other plans include installation of more electronic display boards in both Arabic and English in the squares around the Grand Mosque. The presidency is also currently, in conjunction with the Agriculture Ministry, conducting a study to supply Makkah and Madinah with seedless dates during Ramadan. Leftover date seeds are known to create various problems, the sheikh said.
The presidency has chalked out plans to guarantee the best services to pilgrims. This includes a program to educate them about basic tenets of the religion.
Competent scholars will conduct classes inside the mosques for pilgrims. Copies of the Holy Qur’an, booklets and fliers containing the correct way to perform the religious rites, including Haj and Umrah, will also be distributed.
The presidency is also taking steps to make entry and exit from both mosques safe and smooth. “We are doing everything in our capacity with the full support of the government to provide maximum comfort and peace of mind to visitors to the two holy mosques,” Al-Hosain said.
He said there are special units that deal with specific types of services such as the supply of Zamzam water to pilgrims, distribution of wheelchairs and the cleaning of the mosques and surrounding areas. He also said that there is a unit that is responsible for update and maintenance of the sound system, lighting, telecommunications system and elevators.
There are other administrative units that take care of the library in Madinah and the exhibition featuring the expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque. Pilgrims will also be taken to the place where the kiswa (the fabric that covers the Kaabah) is being manufactured.
Another unit has also been assigned to deal with matters relating to public relations and media, the president said.
