Makkah, Apr 16: More than 22 million worshipers have visited Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mosque during the first 20 days of Ramadan, the General President of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque has reported.
Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais said it followed a detailed operational strategy to ensure the vast number of worshipers and pilgrims could visit the site and perform their rituals with ease, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Ramadan, which began on March 23, sees a huge influx of Umrah pilgrims and worshipers to holy sites in Saudi Arabia.
A detailed plan that aims to facilitate worshipers’ experience during the last days of Ramadan and to ensure high-quality services went into effect on Tuesday.
The plan includes washing the Grand Mosque 10 times a day by over 4,000 workers. More than 70 teams will also operate round the clock to sanitize all areas of the mosque.
Artificial intelligence technologies will also be used to carry out the disinfection operations at the Grand Mosque, Haidar explained, adding that 11 robots will perform this task for up to eight hours without any human intervention.
The plan also provides around 8,000 vehicles, including 3,000 that are electric, to transport worshipers from parking lots to prayer halls. Worshipers can book in advance through the Tanaqol app.
More than 160 staff members will be deployed at the doors of the Grand Mosque to facilitate worshipers’ entrance and exit and to help with any inquiries.
Regarding maintenance, the Presidency has provided more than 90 engineers and technicians at the Grand Mosque and its courtyards where there are more than 200 electric escalators and 14 elevators.
The Presidency urged worshipers and Umrah performers to adhere to all instructions at the Grand Mosque and noted that cooperation with security employees is necessary to maintain security and safety.–(Al Arabiya English)
