Saudi Arabia: Over 5m worshippers visited Islam’s 2nd holiest site in Medina in a week

Cairo: Some 5.3 million worshippers went to the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second holiest place, in the Saudi city of Medina in a single week, according to a state agency in charge of the site.

The Agency for Presidency of the Prophet’s Mosque said it had received 5.3 million worshippers and visitors in the first week of the current fifth Islamic month of Jumada I.

They included 135,242 worshippers, who offered prayers at Al Rawda Al Sharifa where the tomb of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is located.

Visitors to Al Rawda Al Sharifa are required to make prior reservations before arriving at the revered site, and to show up according to the fixed appointment.

During the same week, 16,772 worshippers benefited from designated areas for the elderly in the mosque and 37,578 others made use of a multilingual communication service, the agency said in a breakdown.

Moreover, the agency distributed 119,400 bottles of the blessed Zamzam water to worshippers and 92,008 fast-ending meals.

After undertaking rites of Umrah or minor pilgrimage in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, many pilgrims would flock to the Prophet’s Mosque to pray and visit Al Rawdah Al Sharifa.

Saudi Arabia expects around 10 million Muslims from abroad to do Umrah during the current season.

The Umrah season began more than four months ago after the end of annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage that around 1.8 million Muslims attended for the first time in three years after pandemic-related restrictions were lifted.

Muslims, who cannot physically or financially afford Hajj, go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.