Saudi Arabia: Al Rawda Al Sharifa visitors surge to 13 million in 2024

Cairo: The number of the Muslims, who last year visited and prayed in Al Rawda Al Sharifa, where the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) is located at Islam's second holiest mosque in Medina, reached 13 million, according to official Saudi figures.

The figure surged from 5 million registered in 2022, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said.

The visits were made under well-managed organizational efforts exerted by the General Authority for Care of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques to give the faithful access to comfortable services.

The efforts included developing a pre-booking system via the official digital apps Nusuk and Tawakkalna, expanding coordination with security, health and service agencies, and enhancing the capacity of field personnel to ensure the smooth flow of visitors and organize their entry and exit.

The visits to the revered site are conducted according to crowd-management rules and separate schedules set for women and men.

The state agency in charge of the Prophet's Mosque has increasingly harnessed artificial intelligence-powered technologies to analyze visitor traffic and determine optimal times for entry, as well as providing multilingual signage and support services for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Saudi authorities have repeatedly stressed that visitors to Al Rawda Al Sharifa must make prior online reservations before arrival to get smooth access.

After performing Umrah or minor pilgrimage in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in the Saudi city of Mecca, many pilgrims would head to Medina to perform prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque.