Hotels and residential units in Makkah's Al-Aziziya District earned more than SR250 million during Ramadan. The area gained popularity among local and foreign pilgrims in the holy month due to its ideal location near the Grand Mosque and ease of transportation, Al-Watan Arabic daily quoted Al-Shareef Mansour Abu Raiyash, Chairman of Makkah Chamber's Real Estate Committee, as saying. Earlier, the area was mostly popular among local pilgrims, but now more foreign visitors are renting lodgings in the area due to the ongoing development projects in the mosque's northern courtyards that includes the acquired 4,000 properties once used for hosting pilgrims, he said. Moreover, the area is in demand among local pilgrims due to cheaper rents compared to those in the Central Zone, he said. A residential unit in Al-Aziziya costs between SR10,000 to SR17,000 for the whole month of Ramadan. The lodgings in the area also have parking lots in addition to buses that transport the visitors to and from the Grand Mosque, he added. Since a large number of pilgrims swarm Al-Aziziya to seek accommodation, landlords rent out their buildings only during Haj and Umrah as it provides higher revenue, added Al-Shareef.
