MAKKAH: Thousands of more worshippers will be able to offer Maghreb and Taraweeh prayers in the northern courtyards of the Grand Mosque during Ramadan following the completion of expansions. The expansions mean that the northern courtyards will be able to accommodate 80,000 more worshippers, bringing the total number of worshippers in that part of the prayer complex to 200,000.
“The courtyards will accommodate about 150,000 people from the Al-Ghazzah district side and 50,000 from the direction of the Shabakiyah area,” said Youssef ibn Abdullah Al-Wabil, deputy undersecretary for services at the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.
He added that the areas that have been completed are furnished with fine rugs and supplied with copies of the Holy Qur’an, Zamzam water coolers and information offices.
He said special passes for pedestrians have been made to ensure smooth movement of people. Al-Wabil also said that the northern courtyards have been provided with amplifiers to transmit prayers and earphones to enable worshippers to listen to religious lessons delivered by scholars from inside the Grand Mosque.
He added that the committee supervising the courtyards has designated the site of the demolished Ajyad Hospital for security organizations, as the area is unsuitable for prayer. “The highest degree of security will be provided to pilgrims, visitors and residents during Ramadan. They will also be protected against the dust and debris of ongoing projects,” he said.
