For Muslims who have visited Makkah recently, the rapidly changing city skyline must surely be a most impressive sight, none more so than the massive expansion taking place in the northern courtyards of the Grand Mosque. Here a multibillion construction project is underway that will expand the Holy Haram to accommodate an extra 1.2 million worshippers. Once completed the Grand Mosque will have a capacity to handle over two million worshippers at a time. This is really a cause for some celebration and gratitude to Almighty Allah who has granted the authorities here the means to provide ever-increasing facilities to serve those coming on Umrah and Haj. One cannot overemphasize how important the Grand Mosque is to Muslims. It is the ultimate gathering place and symbol of unity for the Ummah – the community of Muslims around the globe. The need for the expansion can be seen just by a visit to the Grand Mosque during peak times. There is hardly a place to move or pray properly. And there are signs that increasing numbers of people are visiting the city. This year the Kingdom's embassies issued over 4.8 million Umrah visas, a 10-year high. The northern courtyard expansion covers 400,000 square meters in the northwest and northeast of the mosque. Real estate properties appropriated for the project are valued at more than SR40 billion. The project will see the construction of a new building; expansion and development of courtyards around the mosque, including walkways, tunnels and toilets; and development of service facilities for air-conditioning, electricity and drinking water. There are also plans to expand the Mataf (the circumambulation area around the Holy Ka'ba) and provide air-conditioning for all parts of the Grand Mosque. Makkah has also other major projects which have either been completed or are still underway, including the Makkah Tower Clock, considered the largest in the world; the newly expanded Masa'a; the King Abdul Aziz endowment towers; the newly developed Jamarat Bridge complex in Mina; and the Masha'er Train linking the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa. All these projects will make it easier for many Muslims coming for Umrah and importantly for Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam. It also comes at a time when troubles across the region and the world make it all the more important for Muslims to come together and see each other as brothers and sisters, rather than as combatants. __
