Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH — Two floors of the new annex of the Grand Mosque in Makkah will be opened to pilgrims this Haj season, the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques Affairs has said. “The ground and first floors of the King Abdullah expansion and the surrounding courtyards have been readied for prayers during the Haj season. They will be linked to streets and public transport stations in all directions,” the presidency said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. Abdulmuhsin Bin Humaid, the director general of projects at the presidency, said work is under way to complete the first phase of the mataf (circumambulation area around the Holy Kaaba) expansion project. He said on completion of the first phase, the capacity of the mataf will increase to 70,000 pilgrims an hour. He said the first phase is important not only because it has the biggest area but it will also increase the comfort of pilgrims with an increase in the width of the mataf to 51 meters near the masaa (the corridor for the ritual walk between the Safa and Marwa mounts) on the first floor. Bin Humaid said the lower level of the temporary mataf will be linked to the ground floor corridors. The flow of pilgrims on the ground floor will be streamlined to ensure smooth movement between the first Saudi expansion and the first stage of the mataf on all levels, he added. Bin Humaid said work is being intensified to complete the southern courtyard bridge, which will double the space available for movement of pilgrims and provide flexibility in crowd management. Bin Humaid said four rest room complexes extending from Dar Al-Tawheed Hotel in the north and to the location of the former Ajyad Hospital in the south will also be completed before Haj. These complexes will provide an additional 1,500 rest rooms aside from the ablution taps attached to them. These complexes will have separate wings for men and women. With the completion of the project, the total number of rest rooms in the sprawling prayer complex will increase to nearly 6,000, double the current number.
