5.7m flock to Prophet’s Mosque in one week
More than 280m prayed in Islam’s second holiest site last year
Cairo: The Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second holiest site in the Saudi city of Medina, received last week 5.7 million Muslims amid seamless services offered to worshippers, according to official figures.
The General Authority for Care of the Prophet’s Mosque, a Saudi state agency in charge of the place, said the figures included 2.5 million worshippers, who visited and prayed at Al Rawda Al Sharifa where the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is located in the mosque.
The visits were made according to crowd-management regulations and separate schedules set for women and men.
Saudi authorities have repeatedly stressed that visitors to Al Rawda Al Sharifa must make prior reservations before arriving at the revered site, and to show up according to the fixed appointment to get smooth access.
During the same week, 26,811 worshippers of different nationalities benefitted from the multilingual communication services provided in the mosque.
Additionally, 1,590 tons of the blessed Zamzam water were provided for the faithful during the same week when more than 257,000 fast-breaking meals were distributed too.
After performing Umrah or minor pilgrimage in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, many pilgrims would flock to Medina to offer prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque and visit other Islamic landmarks in the city.
More than 280 million Muslims prayed in the Prophet’s Mosque in 2023.
The mosque received 74.5 million worshippers in the first quarter of the current year, according to official figures. The cited period covered the Islamic lunar month of Ramadan, which ended in April, when Umrah usually peaks.