The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has drawn a comprehensive five-phase plan for the comfort of Umrah pilgrims during the blessed month of Ramadan. Sheikh Saleh Abdul Rahman Al-Hussayyen, chief of the presidency, told Saudi Gazette Monday that the presidency was focusing on educating pilgrims about the correct way of performing Umrah rituals. “Most pilgrims come from villages and small towns and have poor knowledge of the rituals of Umrah and Haj. Therefore, the Presidency has arranged for more than 100 scholars to give sermons in small groups after the Fajr and Asr prayers in the Grand Mosque. The sermons will be in Arabic, Urdu and English and in the Indonesian and Malaysian languages. The Holy Mosque has a telecom network in place including telephones that worshippers can use to ask a team of authorized scholars questions relating to the rituals and to matters of religion. Over 5,700 workers of both sexes are employed in various jobs to give pilgrims access to all facilities inside the Grand Mosque making their worship and circumambulation of the Ka'ba easy and peaceful. Technical services include maintaining the cooling system, the nine escalators, lighting and sound systems and cameras to monitor the crowd of worshippers. Special arrangements have been made for breaking of fast. Hussayyen added that only dates and Saudi coffee (ghawa) are allowed inside the mosque. But in open plazas no such restrictions are imposed. A total of 20,000 Zamzam water thermoses have been provided throughout the mosque. The official said final touches are being given to the expansion of Al-Masa'a project. The Presidency is also offering various cultural services, such as allowing worshippers to visit the Kiswa factory at Umm El-Jood. Visitors can see how skilled craftsmen embroider Qura'nic verses on the black fabric with gold threads. Adjacent to the Kiswa factory is an exhibition containing items used in the Holy Mosque during the Umayyad, Abbasid and Ottoman rules. There are also pictures on display showing the stages of development of the Holy Mosque, said Al
