Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee, is being briefed on the model of the new complex for government departments in Muzdalifah during an inspection tour of the holy sites on Monday. — SPA Salman Al-Sulami Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee, called for setting up a university specialized in Haj and Umrah affairs. “Such a university can shoulder the responsibilities of researches, studies, training and empowerment with regard to Haj and Umrah in view of the fact that the Haj and Umrah seasons have stretched to the entire year,” the Emir told reporters after chairing the meeting of the Central Haj Committee at the new complex for government departments in Muzdalifah on Monday. Prince Khaled suggested that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Haj Researches and the Makkah Haram Institute can serve as the nucleus of the university. He hoped that the Ministry of Higher Education would pay the needed attention to study this proposal and translate it into action. The Emir also made an inspection tour of the holy sites and reviewed the progress of various development projects being implemented there. He inspected the final phase of the project to link the Aziziyah area with the second level of the Jamarat Bridge. The project included roads, tunnels and transport stations to facilitate the movement of pilgrims from the Aziziyah area to the Jamarat.
The Emir also inspected the finishing work of the project to link Al-Shuaibain area in Mina with the Jamarat Bridge. Pilgrims can take advantage of the project this Haj. Prince Khaled toured the new high-tech facilities under the Project for Utilizing Sacrificial Meat in Mina and was briefed on the salient features of the facilities. He also inspected the vast facilities and services being arranged for the pilgrims in Arafat and Muzdalifah. He toured the facilities of the new complex for government departments in Muzdalifah. The first phase of the project was implemented on an area covering more than two million square meters. Several officials accompanied the Emir during the inspection tour. Meanwhile, Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar said that Mina can accommodate an additional 250,000 pilgrims with the completion of the second phase of shifting government departments from Mina to Muzdalifah next year. In an interaction with media persons, Haj guides and prominent figures of Makkah at Makkah Cultural and Literary Club on Sunday evening, Hajjar said that King Abdullah has approved setting up of a full-fledged pilgrims' city in Madinah. The city will have all the facilities to accommodate the pilgrims from their arrival up to their departure from Madinah, in addition to facilities for the concerned government departments. The Ministry of Finance, represented by the Social Insurance Fund, is currently implementing the project, he said, adding that the design work for a similar pilgrims' city in Makkah has already been prepared. In another development, Sahl Al-Sabban, undersecretary at the Ministry of Haj, unveiled plans to set up fireproof tents in Arafat. “In the first phase of the project, pilgrims who use train facilities will use these tents the next Haj. We held a series of meetings and reached a conclusion to set up tents in Arafat in the pattern of high-rise tents that form the roof of Jeddah's Haj Terminal,” he added. Earlier in April this year, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee Prince Muhammad Bin Naif ordered to carry out studies on setting up 60,000 permanent fireproof tents in Arafat.
