The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud patronized here Monday evening the laying foundation stone ceremony of the largest expansion project of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the Prophet's Mosque. Upon his arrival at the ceremony's headquarters, the King was received by Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, General President of Affairs of the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) and Prophet's Mosque (in Madinah); Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Anqari; Minister of Finance Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf and a number of officials. Upon arrival at the venue, the King watched two replicas of the project and he was briefed on it by the Minister of Finance. After that the King received a commemorative gift from Sheikh Dr. Al-Sudais. Addressing the King, in a speech on this occasion, Sheikh Dr. Al-Sudais said 'Today, you are laying the foundation stone of the largest expansion in the history of the Prophet's Mosque during your prosperous era. I pray to Allah Almighty to reward you greatly. 'The current expansion will be implemented in three phases; the construction area will be about One million square meters; and the accommodation capacity of the Mosque after the expansion will be up to 1.6 million worshippers,' he added. He noted that Allah Almighty has bestowed upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the homeland of the Two Holy Mosques, countless blessings and Prophet Mohammed has been sent as a mercy to all human kind. Sheikh Dr. Al-Sudais praised the King as a leader, who has taken great decisions and implemented gigantic projects, indicating that the Kingdom has adhered to the Holy Quran and Prophet's Sunnah and it has been witnessing continuing security, stability, progress and prosperity. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, then, laid the foundation stone marking the beginning of the implementation of the project, saying, 'In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful; and with Allah's blessing.' The ceremony was attended by Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense; Prince Faisal bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Kabeer; Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, Interior Minister; Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, Adviser and Special Envoy to the King; Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, President of Presidency of Meteorology and Environment; Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Defence Minister; Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, Minister of Education; Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State, Cabinet's Member and Commander of the National Guard; Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities; Prince Abdulaziz bin Majed bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Madinah Region; Prince Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Dr. Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed; Advisor to the King; princes; ministers; scholars; senior officials.
