Cairo: The Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second holiest site in the Saudi city of Medina, received last week 5 million Muslim worshippers and visitors who had access to seamless services, official figures said.
A report from the General Authority for Care of the Prophet’s Mosque, a state agency in charge of the place, showed that the figures included 250,725 worshippers who visited and prayed at Al Rawda Al Sharifa where the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is located.
The visits were made according to crowd-management rules and separate schedules set for women and men.
Saudi authorities have repeatedly stressed that visitors to Al Rawda Al Sharifa must make prior reservations before arriving at the revered site, and show up according to the fixed appointment to get smooth access.
During the same week, 74,486 worshippers of different nationalities benefitted from the multilingual communication services provided in the mosque, the agency said.
The field services also included disinfection work across the place.
Moreover, 1,640 tons of Zamzam water were provided for the faithful last week when 143,142 fast-ending meals were distributed at designated sites.
After performing Umrah or minor pilgrimage in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, many pilgrims flock to Medina to offer prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque.
More than 280 million Muslims prayed in the mosque last year.
The mosque received 74.5 million worshippers in the first quarter of this year, according to official figures. The cited period covered the Islamic month of Ramadan when the Umrah usually peaks.
