Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah arrived in Makkah on August 17 to lay the foundation stone for the largest Haram expansion project in history.
Muhammad Al-Khozaim, vice president of Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques (PTHM) said the new expansion launched by King Abdullah on August 19 would increase the Grand Mosque’s capacity by nearly 1.2 million worshippers. The new project covers 400,000 square meters in the northwest and northeast of the mosque. Real estate properties appropriated for the project are valued at more than SR40 billion.
King Abdullah ordered the new expansion to accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims who come from different parts of the world. During the peak days of Ramadhan, thousands of worshippers stand in the courtyards and streets around the mosque for Taraweeh and Qiyamullail prayers.