JEDDAH — Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also chairman of the Central Haj Committee and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, has stressed the need for projects being implemented in the holy city to have an Arab, Islamic and Makkan character, the Saudi Press Agency reported. During a meeting at his office in Jeddah with members of the supervisory committee for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Projects for expansion of the Grand Mosque on Wednesday, Prince Khaled emphasized the importance of unifying efforts to carry out the projects from the initial stages. “This will save effort, money and time and the projects are completed as quickly as possible,” Prince Khaled said. Chairman of the technical supervisory committee Dr. Faisal Wafa briefed Prince Khaled on the various stages of the project. Work this year is focusing on the southern side from the King Fahd annex up to Safa Mount with a total area covering 81,567 sq. meters. Work is being carried out round the clock to give the finishing touches to projects implemented over the past two years. Also, the final stages of the work for the ground and first floors of the mataf are under way. Wafa hoped that the expanded mataf would be ready for use by worshippers and Umrah performers before Ramadan. The second floor of the project will be completed before the next Haj. Wafa said the project, which is in its third year, would increase the capacity of the circumambulation area (mataf) to nearly 105,000 people an hour. He said the project was designed in a way to maximize the benefits to worshippers. A special level has been allocated for people with special needs and the elderly. It will be linked directly to the walkway (masaa) between the mounts of Safa and Marwah.
