MAKKAH — The General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque has said the Grand Mosque is furnished with 33,000 Saudi-made luxury carpets on Fridays, during Ramadan, and other special seasons. The carpets are of two dimensions — 1.2 x 4 m and 1.2 x 3 m — with a total length of 200 km. They have a thickness of 1.6 cm, giving them high durability and density to withstand heavy use. The carpets in the Grand Mosque are distinguished for their superior quality, fine craftsmanship, and sustainability specifications. The furnishing efforts stem from the directives of the wise leadership to provide the best of services to visitors to the Two Holy Mosques and to provide everything they need to perform their rituals with ease and comfort. The authorities pay full attention to the Two Holy Mosques and ensure the highest quality services are provided to the guests of God. The Authority's carpet washing plant cleans, sterilizes and perfumes the carpets through a team of specialists, using dedicated devices and equipment, in five stages. The first stage is to transport 1,200 carpets weekly from the Grand Mosque to the washing plant, so that the workers can begin the first stages of washing the carpets, which is removing dust, dirt and spots by inserting them into an automatic device. The second stage is transferring the carpets to the washing and sterilization stage. This is done by inserting them into a large washing machine containing special disinfectants and detergents, which automatically washes the carpets so as not to damage the fabric. Water is then pumped to remove the soap, then they are rinsed and placed on a moving bridge that transports them to the third stage. The third stage involves inserting the carpets through special pipes to dry them from water using a machine that dries the carpets within a minute and a half to two minutes at most. The fourth stage involves hanging the carpets on drying racks in an outdoor courtyard, exposed to the sun and fresh air. They are left to dry for a full day, or two days in the winter. The fifth stage involves sweeping the carpets after they are taken down with special, modern brooms. They are then sterilized and perfumed with natural rose water spray. They are then stored in the laundry warehouses until they are returned to the Grand Mosque.
