Caring for the Two Holy Mosques is at the heart of the message of the kings of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and no one ever bids farewell to caring for the Sacred House of God and the sacred sites in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, which God has honored, as He made His Sacred House there, and is keen on its construction, expansion, maintenance, reconstruction, and preparation for worship. One of the priorities of the Saudi leadership, starting from the era of the founder, King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud – may God rest his soul.
History will always remain the best, just and true witness to what was confirmed by the founder (may God have mercy on him). Everyone is aware that Abdulaziz Al Saud has exerted all his efforts in order to facilitate Hajj for Muslims and secure its paths until the people of his country and its guests became pilgrims, pilgrims and visitors. They move through it from one extreme to the next, fearing nothing but God.
Strengthening the transport network
The Kingdom assumed a prominent position in the world, and became a title of generous hospitality and good hospitality, and was able to achieve a distinguished position in the hearts of the guests of the Merciful and Muslims everywhere, as God honored it by serving the Two Holy Mosques, pilgrims to the Sacred House of God, Umrah performers and visitors. In this context, it recently implemented a third expansion of the Two Holy Mosques, developed its airports and increased its capacity, and launched the Makkah Metro project, complementing the Holy Sites and the Two Holy Mosques train project. In addition, it strengthened the transport network system in order to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques. Holy feelings and enabling the guests of Rahman to perform Hajj, Umrah and visit with ease and ease, and thanks to God the number of pilgrims from outside the Kingdom has doubled (3) times during the past decade until it reached (8) million pilgrims. According to “Vision 2030”, Saudi Arabia seeks to increase the capacity to receive the pilgrims who perform pilgrimages from 8 million to 30 million pilgrims, by facilitating the procedures for requesting and issuing visas in order to automate them, developing electronic services related to the pilgrims’ journey, and expanding the range of services available to them and their families so that they can enjoy an integrated journey. . According to the future plans of the vision, the Kingdom is heading to establish an Islamic museum that will be built according to the highest international standards, and that adopts the latest methods of collection, preservation, display and documentation. Archaeological sites registered in «UNESCO» to double at least.
Historic expansions
The Grand Mosque in Mecca witnessed attention and care by the founder of the Kingdom, King Abdulaziz Al Saud (may God have mercy on him), as he ordered in 1344 AH to form a special administration called the Council of Administration of the Grand Mosque. Among its tasks was managing the affairs of the Grand Mosque and monitoring its maintenance and service. Walls and columns, repairing the dome of Zamzam, installing umbrellas to protect worshipers from the heat of the sun, and paving between Safa and Marwa with stone. In Shaban 1347 AH, the lighting lamps in the Grand Mosque were renewed and increased until they reached about a thousand lamps, and on Safar 14, 1373 AH, the Grand Mosque was lit, and electric fans were placed in it, and it was called the first Saudi expansion.
After the first expansion, the area of the Grand Mosque became accommodating more than 300,000 worshipers at one time, in a comfortable, usual manner, and in cases of crowding, it accommodated more than 400,000 worshipers.
As for the second Saudi expansion, work on it continued in a renewed manner from 1375 AH to 1396 AH in four phases.
The expansion works continued during the reign of the kings of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so that the Grand Mosque in Mecca witnessed the largest expansion it went through, during the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, as he – may God have mercy on him – had agreed in early 2008 to start making the largest expansion of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and on 3 tracks.
The first track included expanding the Grand Mosque in Mecca to accommodate the largest possible number of worshipers, and is expected to reach two million worshipers at one time.
As for the second track, it aims to expand the outer squares of the Grand Mosque in Mecca to include toilets, corridors and tunnels, in addition to other facilities. This stage would facilitate the entry and exit of worshipers and visitors to the Sacred House of God.
The third track is concerned with developing the services area, which is one of the most important support facilities, and includes air conditioning stations, electricity stations, as well as water stations and other stations that provide the necessary support for the Haram area.
The ongoing works witnessed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ project to expand the Grand Mosque came within the framework of their integration to form a comprehensive modern vision to ensure the safety and comfort of pilgrims and their smooth and easy access to the Grand Mosque.
The largest expansion included 6 main components, which are the expansion building, external courtyards, bridges, terraces, pedestrian walkways, service buildings including health centers, civil defense, a hospital, central air-conditioning station and backup generation. The design idea was launched to prepare the Levantine area for the expansion of the Grand Mosque in Mecca in a radial manner, starting from the center of the Kaaba in all directions, to direct worshipers towards the Qibla. The expansion works in its various aspects also included the main gate, which is the King Abdullah Gate, above which two minarets were raised, bringing the number of minarets of the Haram to 11.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's care of the Two Holy Mosques is universally appreciated at the level of Islamic countries and societies, since the era of its founder – the late, God willing – King Abdulaziz Al Saud, through his sons who assumed the reins of power in the Kingdom until this prosperous and auspicious era, the era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Kingdom pays attention to projects to develop Islamic holy sites, especially the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, which contributed to the comfort of pilgrims and Umrah performers; As the pilgrims always praise the Kingdom's projects, confirming its keenness to activate the honor of serving and protecting the sanctities of Muslims. The expansion projects of the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites are still a testament to the efforts exerted by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the comfort of pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors, as this expansion is one of the works witnessed by every fair person. The new projects in the Two Holy Mosques, their expansion, and the implementation of giant projects in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the holy sites are an embodiment of the interest of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and his keenness to achieve everything that would comfort the pilgrims and Umrah performers to devote themselves to performing their worship and moving between the sites with ease and ease, as well as providing care and harnessing all Potential to provide the best services for pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors.
The expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah comes after King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman ordered the maintenance and implementation of all services, including electricity, water, and others, in honor of this for the Grand Mosque, so that his sons, after him, would continue to develop, renew and expand the Grand Mosque. During the reign of King Saud, the process of expanding the Grand Mosque continued until the reign of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, as the expansion operations continued and included the preparation of external squares, the introduction of the air conditioning system, the introduction of firefighting systems, and the adoption of the best technical and security systems to provide the highest levels of comfort for those who visit the House of God.
Abdulaziz Al-Rubaie (Makkah Al-Mukarramah) @Florest66
