The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call, and Guidance has completed furnishing Arafat-valley-based Namira mosque and Muzdalifah-valley-based Al-Mishaar Al-Haram mosque, both on the outskirts of Makkah, with more than 32,000 square meters of luxurious carpets chosen according to Islamic style, international specifications and competitive prices. Pilgrims are set to perform shortened and advanced Dhuhr (noon) and Asr (afternoon) combined prayers in and around Namira mosque on Arafat Day, the climax of Hajj, as per the tradition of Prophet Mohammed to make it easy for pilgrims to finish their Hajj ritual. In the same evening, they are scheduled to perform similar procedure of shortened and delayed Maghrib (sunset) and Isha (evening) prayers when they go down Muzdalepha valley following the end of Arafat day. The project comes as part of the Ministry's preparations to receive pilgrims for this year's Hajj season and to provide them with all means of comfort, as directed by the Saudi leadership to harness all possibilities to serve pilgrims in these special circumstances. Namira mosque furnishing covered an area of more than 29,000 sq.m. in addition to more than 2,000 sq.m. of carpets allocated for Al-Mishaar Al-Haram mosque, said the ministry, adding that the furnishing process was carried out under strict health regulations requested by the competent authorities to prevent the outbreak of the new coronavirus. The preparations also included setting up the two mosques with all the support services that ensure the achievement of precautionary measures, including setting specially allocated paths, identifying entry and exit gates, setting up a mechanism for distributing pilgrims inside the mosques, allocating a team to carry out sterilization on an ongoing basis, and providing all necessary means for sterilization and achieving the required physical distancing in coordination with the relevant authorities.
