Saudi Arabia: 25,000 chip-fitted carpets spread across Prophet’s Mosque

Cairo: A revered destination for millions of Muslims from around the world, the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second holiest site, is the focus of utmost care from Saudi authorities.

A state agency in charge of the place in the Saudi holy city of Medina takes interest in ensuring comfort for worshippers. Part of this attention is paid to more than 25,000 carpets stretched across the mosque and its courtyards.

The carpets are daily sterilised and scented with the finest perfumes. An electronic chip is attached to each carpet to track its place and learn about the history of its cleaning, sterilisation and scenting, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.

Scanning barcodes of these carpets also provides information about them since their manufacture dates, usage, locations, and washing timings.

The carpet furnishings across the mosque are so thick, durable and colour permanent that they can cope well with human density.

The Prophet’s Mosque houses Al Rawda Al Sharifa, where the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is located.

The place received some 6.3 million worshippers last week amid an integrated network of services, the General Authority for Care of the Prophet’s Mosque Affairs said.

After performing Umrah or minor pilgrimage at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site, in Mecca, many pilgrims would flock to Medina to offer prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque and visit other Islamic landmarks in the city.

More than 280 million Muslims prayed at the Prophet’s Mosque last year, according to official figures.

Saudi Arabia expects around 10 million Muslims from abroad to perform Umrah during the current season that began more than six months ago. The numbers of Umrah pilgrims hit record 13.5 million last year, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al Rabiah said this month.