MADINA: Authorities in Makkah and Madina are providing all facilities to the millions of pilgrims who have been converging on the holy cities from the start of the Umrah season, Sheikh Saleh Abdul Rahman Al-Hussayyen, chief of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques' Affairs, said here Monday. The Umrah season peaks in Ramadan when about three million pilgrims from around the globe are expected to arrive in the Kingdom. About four million pilgrims have visited Makkah and Madina in the last four months, Al-Hussayyen told Saudi Gazette. With the expected influx of millions of pilgrims in the coming months, the presidency, Al-Hussayyen said, has created a thorough plan to provide them with a comfortable atmosphere for worship at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madina. The government has built a huge cooling plant seven kilometers from the Prophet's Mosque; cool air passes through large transformer pumps via a specially built tunnel. The cooling system network has been joined with all the colonnades. Al-Hussayyen said that with summer vacation next month in Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries, there will be a dramatic increase in the number of visitors so an extra 1,000 skilled and unskilled laborers will work in shifts at the Prophet's Mosque. The Mosque has been provided with a comprehensive security system, including cameras that provide complete coverage, he said. The Prophet's Mosque has 85 gates, with civilian and security-police guards at each one; about 400 guards are manning the gates round-the-clock and female guards are deployed at gates for women, Al-Hussayyen said. Al-Hussayyen said scholars have been appointed to give sermons after Asr prayer and in between Maghrib and Isha prayers, and guide the pilgrims. Similarly, women scholars give sermons on various aspects of Islam. The Presidency has managed the supply of Zamzam water in the Prophet's Mosque and tankers supply 200 gallons daily from Makkah to Madina, he said. A labor force of about 300 workers supplies Zamzam in 10,000 thermoses, he added. Every Monday and Thursday, the private sector will manage the Iftar breakfast, which follows the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Mosque presents the most beautiful Islamic structure and its white shining colonnades reflect beams of light that enhance its beauty, Al
