An architecture specialist has said that the Kingdom's mosques fail to meet the global safety standards commonly required of other public buildings, citing the lack of exit doors in the qibla wall for worshippers to escape in the event of fire and other contingencies. Speaking during a lecture Sunday, architectural engineer Fa'iq Khayyat urged the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to provide mosques with main doors opening outwards, and ensure the provision of emergency exits and lighting, fire extinguishers, and lightning conductors. In his lecture entitled “Safety in Mosques and Common Failures”, Khayyat also recommended wheelchair ramps, a minimum of 120cm between rows of worshippers, avoiding excessive decoration of the qibla wall, open spaces outside mosques with sun shading facilities, and sufficient parking space. “Mosques are some of the most important public buildings serving the Muslim people and mosque care enables Muslims to perform prayers in comfort and safety,” Khayyat said. He listed three architectural concerns in mosque design: the preparation of space, organization of rows in alignment with the qibla, and a front row of worshippers free of columns. “The only door most mosques have in the qibla wall is the one for imam, which doesn't provide a quick exit route for worshippers in an emergency situation,” he said. “Main doors opening inward make it difficult for late entrants to get into the mosque, and in emergencies like fire, if there is a rush, also make it difficult to open the doors.” Khayyat said that other facilities such as emergency lighting and fire extinguishers were particularly important given the inflammable material present in mosques such as books and carpets, while large numbers of columns and various decorations block vision. “There is also a lack of designated space for persons in wheelchairs and for those who are unable to stand to pray,” he said.
