MADINAH, 24 December 2007 — The central area around the Prophet’s Mosque is becoming crowded again after being calm for a few days. The Presidency of the Prophet’s Mosque Affairs has been preparing for the post-Haj influx of pilgrims to the Prophet’s City.
The presidency is implementing now its second-phase plan to provide the best services for the pilgrims by guiding them and offering booklets, brochures and different audio courses. Women working at the mosque have been trained to serve female pilgrims to ensure their comfort. Copies of the Qur’an and Zamzam containers have been doubled and distributed at the mosque.
The numbers of the supervisors at the mosque have increased to 440 in the men’s section and other 450 in the women’s section. Up to 2,880 cleaning workers are also on call.
Ambulances are ready in case of emergency. Lost-pilgrim centers and handicapped-pilgrims facilities have been established. Islamic scholars will be on call to receive queries from pilgrims. Guides are also on call and have been welcoming pilgrims coming from Makkah.
The head of the local guides organization, Yousuf Hawala, said that they are monitoring the flow of buses at different dispatch centers. He emphasized the role of observing buses to ensure the pilgrims’ safety.
Hawala said that this Haj season was successful because of all the plans and the facilities prepared by the government.
