jeddah, August 03: The Grand Mosque has been prepared to receive Umrah pilgrims during the upcoming Holy Month of Ramadan, according to Dr. Muhammad bin Nasser Al Khuzaim, vice-chairman of the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.
“About 3,300 men and women, comprising 1,756 permanent staff members of the presidency and 1,526 temporary workers, will implement the presidency’s plan for the fasting month,” he said on Saturday. He added that only dates and Arabic coffee will be allowed inside the mosque complex and asked visitors not to take Zamzam water in plastic containers with them inside the Mosque ‘because the water may spill making the floor slippery and so causing people to fall down and get hurt’.
He also urged that visitors realise that the Mosque is not a place for sleeping, urged people to dispose of garbage in garbage bins, place their shoes outside the complex, not smoke in areas surrounding the Mosque and not to do perform with water from taps for drinking water supply.
“Visitors should respect the sanctity of the place and the sacredness of the holy month. They should not sit in corridors or block the movement of other people,” he said. Al-Khuzaim said that final touches in the expansion project of Masaa (walking between Safa and Marwa) would be completed before the holy month begins. A pedestrian flyover in Marwa leading to the bus terminal is also expected to be completed.
“Drinking water taps will be made available in all parts of the Mosque and also in the surrounding areas. The eastern expansion will be made ready and the cleansing will continue throughout the day and night,” he said.
Al-Khuzaim said that studies to determine the hydraulic specifications of the Zamzam well, being carried out with the Saudi Geological Survey, will soon be completed. He said the sterilisation of Zamzam water will also be completed and that the water will automatically be poured into containers for the public outside the Haram.
“Under instructions of the leadership, the presidency will provide all services to enable pilgrims and visitors to perform their rituals in peace and comfort,” he stressed.
Al-Khuzaim said that religious lessons will continue day and night in various parts of the Haram and added that there are special office and telephone lines for fatwas (religious edicts).
–Agencies