Phase 2 of Grand Mosque Makkah nears full completion
Ground and first floors 100% ready; second floor 80% complete
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The King Abdullah Expansion Project, worth $26.6 billion, has reported near-completion of its second phase operations inside Makkah’s Grand Mosque, with the first floor area set to be open for pilgrims during Ramadan.
“The first floor and ground floors are 100% ready for prayer and are fully equipped with elevators and automated stairs, while the second floor is about 80% ready,” Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency of the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque Affairs said.
Spanning 25,000sqm, the second phase of the project is almost twice the size of the first phase area, and can accommodate up to 75,000 worshippers per hour. The phase includes operations on the eastern side of the ‘mataf’, which is the first floor area where pilgrims can circle the Kabba.
Saudi Binladin Group are the main project contractors working on the expansion of the second phase. Contractors will, however, stop work for a period of up to four months to account for the numerous pilgrims expected to visit the mosque between Ramadan and Haj, said a report by Arab News.
The capacity of the ‘mataf’ is expected to increase from 50,000 pilgrims per hour to 130,000 pilgrims.
