More than 250,000 Muslims are breaking their fast every day at the Prophet's Mosque here. Shades built in the outside courtyards of the mosque have reduced the heat there tremendously. This has encouraged people to hold their Iftar in those particular areas. The shades have been particularly useful because of rising temperatures in the city. The people of Madina are known for their nobility of character and hospitality for the millions of guests thronging the city during Ramadan. Their hospitality is specially witnessed during the Iftar time when visitors in their thousands break their fast in the Prophet's Mosque here during the holy month. The minimum expenditure on each person is estimated at SR2.5, thus the daily expenditure on breakfast works out to about SR625,000 daily which is borne by the private sector, Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al-Faleh, Deputy President of the Presidency of the Prophet's Mosque Affairs, told Saudi Gazette here, Sunday. The Presidency, he said, allows yoghurt, dates, Saudi coffee, bread known as shreyk, a Madinite dish known as ‘Dugga' and tea for the Iftar. Just after Asr prayer thousands of hand driven small carts on two wheels carrying baskets, cartoons, thermoses of Saudi coffee and nylon rolls about a meter wide with plastic utensils enter the mosque from all sides. The nylon rolls used as ‘sufra' are spread over the prayer carpets to keep food stuff as allowed over it. The items of food about 200 grams of yoghurt, a small plastic plate having sufficient dates, bread shreyk, dugga in small plates and Saudi coffee in cups is served to each person, said Al-Faleh. In only a matter of minutes the entire mosque is furnished with ‘sufra' having all these eatables nearly placed on them. The Presidency supplies Zamzam water in more than 20,000 water coolers. The coolers are place closed to each sufra. The hosts fill glasses with Zamzam and place it before each person. Iftar organizers and other philanthropists make their children stand in front of all gates and inside the mosque to invite the arriving worshippers to break the fast on their ‘sufra'. Women are second to none in this work. The mosque has two wings for ladies which accommodate more than 60,000 worshippers. They also arrange breakfast the same way it is arranged in the men's section. The Presidency has kept more than 2,000 workers on active duty to keep the mosque clean within 15 minutes of breaking the fast. They also move water coolers to their original places before the call for Maghrib prayer is made. It is not all over. After the congregation prayer the worshippers sit in groups and the hosts serve Saudi coffee to all those who want to relish the hot beverage. The Presidency has arranged carpeting of all the plazas on the four sides of the mosque, Al-Faleh said. Authorities have issued more than 4.5 million Umrah visas this year. School vacations in the Kingdom and other GCC countries have also contributed to a record number of visitors to the Prophet's Mosque this year. __
