Residents urged to help ease Grand Mosque overcrowding
Citizens, expats exhorted to pray at nearby mosques as numbers of worshippers surge
Cairo: Saudi authorities have urged Saudi citizens and expatriates to pray at mosques near their residences to ease pressure on the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site, which has seen an influx of worshippers in recent days of the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The kingdom’s General Directorate of Public Security said that the Grand Mosque in Mecca is witnessing a high flow of worshippers and pilgrims undertaking umrah and that praying at nearby mosques will ease overcrowding.
Footage aired by Saudi media showed large crowds of worshippers congregating the Grand Mosque and its courtyards last night to perform the voluntary Taraweeh and Tahajjud prayers.
Media reports estimated the number of worshippers last night at the mosque at around 2 million.
The General Presidency for Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has allocated four tracks for umrah pilgrims to ease their access to the sacred site.
Ramadan is usually the peak season for umrah.
Saudi authorities have recently eased coronavirus-induced measures for performing umrah after two years of restrictions prompted by the global.