Video: Meet Pakistani who has been working at Mecca’s Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia for 40 years
When he returns to his homeland, people kiss his hands in sign of reverence, he says
Cairo: A Pakistani expatriate is proud of having spent around 40 years working at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site located in the Saudi city of Mecca.
Ghaleb Hussain is now acting as a supervisor of workers serving to worshippers the Zamzam water at the mosque, a destination for millions of Muslims from around the world.
He told Saudi TV Al Ekhbariya that when he returns to his homeland, people would kiss his hands in a sign of reverence due to his work at Haram or the Sacred Mosque.
He sounded jubilant over his work at the mosque, noting that his kinsfolk are proud of his job and presence at the Grand Mosque, which houses the Holy Kaaba that Muslims direct in their prayers.
He said they would ask him to pray for them there.
Ramadan traditionally marks the peak season of Umrah or minor pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Worshippers from inside and outside the kingdom would flock to the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah and offer prayers.
To cope with the influx, Saudi authorities have unveiled a series of measures to help worshippers perform rites smoothly and comfortably.
The circumambulation courtyard of the mosque around the Holy Kaaba and the ground floor are allocated for Umrah pilgrims during Ramadan. Likewise, authorities have allocated certain gates of the sprawling mosques for pilgrims’ entry and exit to stave off overcrowding.
In addition, buses ferrying worshippers are denied access into the precincts of the mosque. Instead, they stop at designated parking areas to facilitate traffic and head off congestion.