Over 3,000 mosques readied in Mecca, Medina for Eid prayers

Cairo: A total of 3,047 mosques have been readied in Saudi Arabia’s holy cities of Mecca and Medina to receive worshippers on Wednesday, the first day of the Muslim Eid Al Adha festival.

The branch of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Mecca said 2,553 mosques and open-air prayer sites are prepared for the Eid prayers performed on the morning of the first day of the Eid, one of major Islamic occasions.

“Maintenance and furnishing works as well as technical and acoustic devices have been finalised in these mosques,” said the branch’s head Salem Al Khamiri said.

He added that prayer areas are designed at these mosques for female worshippers.

Some 494 mosques have, meanwhile, been prepared in Medina, home to the Prophet’s Mosque for the Eid prayers.

Earlier this minister, Saudi religious authorities said the number of Mosques in Mecca has been increased for worshippers performing the congregational Friday prayers during the pilgrimage Hajj season that commenced Monday to cope with a surge in numbers of pilgrims.

Some 2 million pilgrims from across the globe are converging on Saudi Arabia to undertake Hajj after the kingdom has lifted pandemic-related restrictions.

Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs Abdullatif Al Alsheikh has directed the increase in the operation of such mosques until the end of the Hajj season in Mecca, home to the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site.

The directive raised the total of operational mosques in the central zone of Mecca to 554 sites as part of efforts to cope with the large numbers of the faithful and help them undertake worshipping with ease and comfort, the ministry said.