Saudi Plans To Expand Haj Pilgrimage Sites, Facilities: Report
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan - Visitors to the Medina Mosque will be able to use the pathway of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from the mosque to the historic Quba Mosque - the first mosque in Islamic history --as it will be renovated shortly, according to a newspaper report in Medina.

A returning local haj pilgrim said that according to reports the renovation would be carried out to protect historic monuments and antiquities in the city.

The project would be carried out quickly to preserve much of the pathway's original shape.

Plans to develop some historical sites in the region such as the battlegrounds at Badr and Uhud, old cities, remnants of volcanoes, the Hijrah Road and the ancient road from Kufa to Mecca known as Darb Zubaida as part of efforts to promote tourism.

A number of vital projects in and around the Prophet's Mosque will also be, carried out such as the expansion of the courtyard on the east' of the mosque to equal the size of the courtyards on other sides, provision of parking facilities for buses carrying pilgrims and taxis and the construction of additional lavatories and ablution facilities.

Courtyards around the mosque will be provided with state-of-the-art sunshades and their underground parking lots will be linked to King Faisal Street by a tunnel.

The Saudi Arabian government also announced recently that it will expand the stoning area of Jamarat in Mina, just outside Mecca, after the current pilgrimage season, according to a newspaper report.

The Arab News quoted Haj Minister Fouad al-Farsy as saying that the expansion, to cost about SR4 billion (RM4.03 billion), was designed to accommodate nearly four million pilgrims at a time.

Currently, some 2 to 2.5 million pilgrims from the world over can be accommodated in any year.

Fouad al-Farsy said theproject was expected to solve many problems faced by pilgrims performing the stoning ritual and to prevent a recurrence of the stampedes that had resulted in several deaths in the past.

The proposed project, to be completed in four years, includes expansion of the area around Jamarat, automatic cleaning of the area and transportation of pilgrims from tents to Jamarat and back by train.

The project will have a five-floor stoning area, electronic stairs,_ 12 entrances and 12 exits and will be linked to tents by hanging bridges.

The facility would allow 500,000 pilgrims to perform the ritual at any one time in an hour, said Osama Albar, Dean of the King Fahd Haj Institute, which designed the -project

No vehicles will be allowed in the area around Jamarat and underground tunnels will be built for motorists. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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