Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz, the Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard yesterday launched six major development projects worth SR35 billion around the Haram Mosque in Makkah. The projects, including expansion of the mosque's northern courtyard and construction of residential towers, are aimed at providing more housing and prayer facilities for pilgrims. The projects include the SR12 billion Jabal Omar residential towers, one of the largest ventures aimed at developing areas surrounding the Holy Haram. Spread over an area of 230,000 square meters, the project includes five-star hotels, commercial centers and prayer facilities for 200,000 worshippers. Other projects dedicated by the Crown Prince were: Development of Ajyad General Hospital, which is located close to the mosque, and construction of another road to Haram parallel to the existing road from the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway. The new five-km road, to be named after King Abdul-Aziz, is designed to benefit pilgrims. --MORE 1145 Local Time 0845 GMT
