Mosques across the Kingdom will conduct late night prayers (known as “qiyamul layl”) from 1 a.m. on Saturday to mark the last 10 days of Ramadan, during which these prayers will be held daily.

“The last 10 days of Ramadan are the most important since the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on one of these nights,” Mohammed Obaidullah, an imam at the Sheebani mosque in the Nasseriyah District, told Arab News on Tuesday.

Private establishments that have been contracted to maintain mosques throughout the Kingdom have geared up their staff to be on duty throughout the nights to ensure a smooth supply of power and water.

Extensive arrangements have been made at all the mosques to accommodate the additional number of worshippers during this period.

Mosques will be kept open for worshippers throughout the night during the last 10 days of the holy month in accordance with a directive issued by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance.

Some mosques will be illuminated to give off a festive vibe.

“The mosques are kept open for the public at nights for them to recite the Qur’an and conduct whatever prayers they need to offer inside the mosque premises.

According to the circular, imams have been instructed to keep places of worship tidy and to ensure adequate and uninterrupted supplies of power and water during the holy month to meet the requirements of the influx of Muslims coming post-Isha taraweeh prayers.

Improvised partitions for ladies have been built at mosques that do not have separate prayer halls for women.

A maintenance contractor who looks after more than 1,500 mosques in the capital told Arab News that his company has instructed his labor force to work in the mosques late into the night during this period. “These workers are expected to keep places of worship spick and span, ensure a smooth supply of water and power and illuminate the venues,” he said.

Around 10 laborers work in large mosques, while others are manned by two workers.

Some of the big mosques in the capital are built and maintained by members of the royal family. Some 5,000 mosques are maintained by a department devoted to mosques at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance headquartered in Riyadh.