On the 27th night of Ramadan, nearly two million worshippers performed Isha and Taraweeh prayers at the Grand Mosque in an atmosphere full of faith, tranquility and peace of mind.

The worshippers, who are seeking Laylat Al-Qadr (Night of Destiny) in the last 10 days of Ramadan, performed their prayers easily and comfortably thanks to magnitude of services provided by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, affirmed that serving visitors of the Grand Mosque is a great honor.

“All are tirelessly working to achieve the maximum degree of comfort and facilities in these (last 10) days of Ramadan,” he said.

In this context, he referred to the new expansion work carried out in the Grand Mosque, of which guests of Allah have benefited.

In the meantime, the concerned government agencies have prepared all services, including security, traffic, medical, and awareness campaigns, to serve nearly 2 million Umrah performers and worshippers on this particular night.

For its part, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs has mobilized all its potentials through opening gates, provision of maintenance works, and doubling work forces and equipment.

The presidency also deployed its staff in all courtyards of the Grand Mosque to organize masses of worshippers arriving at the mosque. It also provided texts of the Holy Qur’an in different languages, and distributed religious booklets and brochures.

In other technical aspects, the Presidency installed electronic displays inside and around the Grand Mosque that contained directions and guidance in different languages, as well as provision of carts for people with special needs and electric carts for elderly Umrah performers and visitors.

Meanwhile, the Health Affairs in Makkah region operated two medical centers inside the Grand Mosque in addition to 24-hour service at Ajiyad Hospital to deal with emergencies for visitors and Umrah performers at the

Grand Mosque, with referral of some cases to general hospitals in Makkah to continue treatment there.
For its part, Makkah Municipality prepared more than 12,000 cleaners equipped with necessary equipment to collect waste within branch municipalities while the Civil Defense increased its centers to more than 60 to cover all parts of the Grand Mosque to support worshippers who may need help due to the crowds.

Traffic motorcycle teams also have also played a key role in speedy handling of accident reports in crowded areas while guidance boards were displayed to acquaint visitors and Umrah performers with safety requirements.

SMS messages were also sent to organize groupings from hotels to the Grand Mosque to avoid risks associated with the increasing numbers of worshippers at the mataf and masaa.

Outside the Grand Mosque, Makkah Police intensified security patrols on highways leading to Makkah, districts, streets, shopping centers and stores to ensure security and help and guide visitors to the designated parking lots.

For its part, the branch Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) prepared a large number of buses to transport Umrah performers or visitors from the parking lots to the Grand Mosque to perform Isha and Taraweeh prayers on this day.

Public Security helicopters also stepped up over-flights to monitor the security and traffic situations in the holy city and send reports to the concerned bodies to take action accordingly.

[Source: Arab News]