20200524 worshippers
Worshippers gathering before the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's Mecca to attend the prayers of Eid Al Fitr. Image Credit: AFP

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques says nearly half of the construction work of five minarets of the Grand Mosque in Mecca has been completed, Saudi media reported.

The construction of the minarets is carried out as part of the final phase of the largest-ever expansion of the Grand Mosque.

More than 45 per cent of the construction work of the two minarets of the King Abdul Aziz Gate, the main gate of the Grand Mosque, has been completed while the two minarets of the Umrah Gate and the Al Fatah Gate minaret have been completed during the suspension of Umrah and prayers following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Eng. Ammar Al Ahmadi, director-general of the General Department of Projects at the presidency, said the department took advantage of the low number of worshippers during the Umrah suspension in supervising several projects simultaneously. The most prominent among them are the roofing of the Mataf building.