Authorities at the Two Holy Mosques are fully geared up to meet the expected rush of pilgrims to the holy sites during the coming summer vacations in the Kingdom and across the Gulf states. Makkah and Madina see about half a million domestic and Gulf visitors during the annual vacations and the ensuing Ramadan season. This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of Umrah visitors already staying in the two Holy Cities. This year more than three million visitors are expected to converge on the Holy Cities during the summer vacations and Ramadan, said Muhammad Nasir Al-Khuzayyuam, Deputy President of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques' Affairs. Due to a large number of visitors, the terrace of the Grand Mosque has been opened and all escalators are working round the clock. A labor force of more than 2,000 workers is on shift duty to clean and sweep the carpets. They are also responsible for keeping 25,000 water coolers filled with Zamzam water. Sterilized glasses are provided with every cooler and the used glasses are removed periodically. Standard hygienic measures have been adopted to prevent any contamination. The Presidency has placed special emphasis on teaching the rites of Umrah and correct Islamic beliefs. A team of more than one hundred Ulema (scholars) address groups in various languages after almost every congregational prayer. The Ulema cover all fields of religion in their sermons. An intercom system around the Grand Mosque helps visitors solve any problem regarding the rites of Umrah, etc. A team of scholars attends to their calls and guides them. Five clinics operate inside the Holy Mosque to attend to health any emergency, with cases of heatstroke or other major ailments being referred to the nearby Ajyad Hospital.
