MAKKAH — The circumambulation around the Kaaba (tawaf) on the bridge which is used as a temporary circumambulation platform especially for wheelchair-bound pilgrims and the elderly, will be temporarily suspended as a result of Friday's crane collapse tragedy, according to a source at the General Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques. The two-story bridge is 12 meters wide and is 34 meters above the ground. “The General Presidency and the expansion project construction company have decided to suspend tawaf on the bridge for the safety of pilgrims,” said the source. The bridge was built as a temporary mataaf (the area where Haj and Umrah pilgrims circle the Kaaba during the tawaf ritual) route until the expansion of the main mataaf is completed. The construction on the main mataaf has reduced the total accommodation capacity of pilgrims by almost half. The bridge accommodates 35,000 pilgrims an hour.
