The agency that looks after the affairs of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah has mobilized 5,000 employees, including women, to implement its Ramadan plan designed to ensure the welfare and comfort of pilgrims and visitors around the clock during the holy month. "We have readied 16,000 prayer mats and made arrangements to bring 300 tons of Zamzam water daily from Makkah," an official statement issued by the agency said. Zamzam water will be made available inside and outside the mosque through 15,000 coolers. The arrangement for iftar at the mosque's courtyards is one of the agency's most important tasks during Ramadan. Iftar is arranged for more than 100,000 worshippers inside and outside the mosque daily and the visitors will be supplied with dates, bread, yogurt, tea and coffee to break their fasts. The agency has readied 40 water storage facilities, in addition to 385 water taps in 20 separate locations. It has made available 2,500 additional water coolers to meet the Ramadan demand. "Pilgrims and visitors will enjoy the comfort provided by 250 sunshades in the courtyards around the mosque as well as 436 air-conditioning units," the statement said. Large plasma screens have been installed in various places to give guidelines to the worshippers. The agency has made special arrangements for women to visit and pray in Rawdah Al-Shareef, the most sacred part of the mosque close to the Prophet's tomb, and security officers and the agency's staff will guide visitors to ensure a the flow of worshippers to the area as smooth as possible. In the women's sections of the mosque, highly qualified university graduates who speak different languages have been appointed to provide various services to pilgrims and visitors. Women police officers have been deployed in the area for crowd control and security. A group of Islamic scholars have been appointed to give lessons on Islamic topics in different parts of the mosque and clear doubts of the public on various issues at specific times each day. A scientific course on the jurisprudence of fasting is being conducted at the mosque. The mosque's library has made special arrangements to receive visitors during Ramadan, the agency said. There is a separate library for women on the east-western side of the mosque. An audio visual unit distributes cassettes and CDs of Qur'an recitations and Friday sermons. A large number of Qur'an copies and its translations in various languages printed by King Fahd Qur'an Printing Complex in Madinah have been made available in all areas of the mosque. The agency has appointed a number of translators, especially university students, to guide pilgrims from different countries, the statement said. They also translate the lessons given by Islamic scholars for the benefit of non-Arab visitors. The maintenance crew checks the light and sound systems at the mosque and carries out necessary repairs at regular intervals. This department also operates the sunshades in the mosque's courtyards as and when required. A separate department takes care of the underground parking facilities. The Prophet Mosque, which is the most sacred mosque for Muslims after the Grand Mosque in Makkah, has 100 doors, which are kept open around the clock during Ramadan. Electric stairs take worshippers to pray on the roof when the mosque is crowded.
