Nada Al-Maddah Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – Gates in the Grand Mosque have been readied to receive worshippers and Umrah pilgrims during the month of Ramadan, said Talal Al-Thaqafi, Director of the Gates Administration at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. 176 gates lead to the Grand Mosque, its roof, and the basement, and are kept open and guarded throughout Ramadan by 798 male and female employees. Apart from this, 18 entrances for people with special needs have been readied. They include the King Abdul Aziz Gate (Bab Al-Malik Abdul Aziz), New Ajyad, Hunain, Al-Safa, Al-Marwah, Al-Qararah, Mazlaqan, Al-Fateh, Al-Madinah, and Al-Umrah gates as well as gates no. 64, 74, 84 and 94. They also include the gates to Al-Arqam, Al-Marwah, Murad, Al-Qararah, and Al-Mazlaqan escalators. Al-Thaqafi added that in order to safeguard and facilitate movement in the Grand Mosque, bags of all kinds, food items, drinks, water cans - empty or full - and baby strollers have been banned. He further called on visitors and Umrah pilgrims to cooperate with the workers at the gates and comply with the signal lights at the gates which will be green when there is space in the mosque and red when it is full. He called on worshippers not to enter the Grand Mosque immediately after prayers in order to prevent congestion. Safe boxes in the courtyards of the mosque have been arranged for pilgrims' valuables. These initiatives were made under the supervision of Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, General President for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, and are being followed up by Muhammad Al-Khuzaim, Deputy General President for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
