MAKKAH — The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia has unveiled its two-month plan for the upcoming Hajj season, stretching from the current month till the end of August.

“The Hajj plan seeks to help pilgrims to perform their duties with utmost ease without any hindrance,” Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, chief of the authority told Zawya on July 19.

“A number of services provided by public administrations include a guidance and advise service that is concerned with raising the awareness of pilgrims,” he added.

The authority prepared workshops to be conducted by prominent imams. That’s in addition to distributing Qur’an copies, pamphlets, religious and advisory books.

Moreover, the authority has been also working on a simultaneous interpretation and translation of the Friday sermons at the Two Holy Mosques in as much as ten languages.

Developing Facilities

In its preparations for Hajj, the Madinah Development Authority has also opened four pedestrian tunnels to help visitors and residents of neighboring districts to reach the Prophet’s Mosque easily.

Each tunnel has a length of 125 meters provided with escalators for the benefit of the elderly and people with special needs. They are also provided with 12 elevators in addition to ordinary stairs.

According to the Saudi Gazette, currently, there are 210 gates in the Grand Mosque and 100 gates in the Prophet’s Mosque.

Also, there are 660 marble Zamzam water fountains and 25,000 water dispensers in the Grand Mosque, 60 fountains and 23,000 water dispensers in the Prophet’s Mosque.

The number of humidifiers and air fresheners will also be increased in the corridors of the Grand Mosque in order to welcome worshipers.

Efforts are also on to allocate 600 air fans to the Grand Mosque and its squares, 4,500 air fans in the corridors of the mataf (Ka`bah circumambulation area) and 250 umbrellas in the Prophet’s Mosque as well as 52,499 carpets in the Two Holy Mosques.