Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH – The average price for a room in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah has reached SR50,000 for the last 10 days of Ramadan, according to a report published in Makkah daily on Sunday. This is because of a 25 percent increase in visitors to the Holy City as compared to the same period last year, and the lack of enough accommodations in view of the expansion work in and around the Haram. Muhammad Tariq, a Haj and Umrah service provider supervisor, attributed the rush of visitors to the summer vacation which coincided with Ramadan. He said service charges for an Umrah pilgrim start at SR350 at the beginning of the holy month and reach SR2,000 during the last 10 days of Ramadan. Salim Al-Dowsari, owner of an office for Haj and Umrah services, said there are more than 450 Umrah service providers in Riyadh. They have been forced to increase their charges by 20 to 30 percent according to the services being provided. The Ministry of Haj said that more than 6.3 million Umrah visas have been issued so far this year, which is an increase of 900,000 over the same period last year. However, in the last 10 days of Ramadan the number of visitors and pilgrims is expected to rise considerably. Meanwhile, the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques launched online registration facility for prospective worshipers intending to perform Itikaf (seclusion and staying in the mosque with the intention of worshipping) at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Itikaf is an Islamic practice consisting of a period of spiritual retreat in a mosque especially during the last 10 days of Ramadan and it is a Sunnah (Tradition) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Prophet (pbuh) encouraged those who perform Itikaf to spend their time reciting the Qur'an, performing prayers and seeking blessings from the Almighty Allah.
