Mataf capacity now 70,000 per hour

The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs plans to open the newly constructed levels of the “mataf” (area for circumambulating the House of God) on the ground and first floors to worshippers during the current Haj season, bringing the mataf capacity to nearly 70,000 per hour. 

“The new sites will also include the squares surrounding the new levels. They will also be linked to roads leading to the Grand Mosque and the SAPTCO depot,” Director General of Projects and Studies at the Presidency Abdul Mohsen bin Homaid said in a statement.

 

The first phase of the project to enhance the capacity of the mataf, which was partially opened for use during Ramadan, will be fully opened for worshippers during Haj. 

Work on the eastern side of the mosque halls surrounding the mataf and its links with the remaining portion of the first phase of expansion have been completed, he said.

 

Homaid said the first phase of the mataf ground floor was the most significant since there were frequent bottlenecks hindering the movement of pilgrims. 

The width of the area parallel to the ‘masaa’ on this level has been increased to 51 meters.

Homaid said that since the upper level of the temporary mataf had been allocated to disabled worshippers since Ramadan, the lower level will now be linked to the ground floor of the mosque to facilitate movement of worshippers on the ground floor. 

It will ensure smooth movement between the first area of expansion and the areas covered in the first phase of the current project. 

Completion of the bridge on the southern square will enable smooth crowd movement from the eastern square to the first floor through four entrances, including Al-Arqam Escalator, Safa Round, upper part of the Bab Ismail and the Ajyad Bridge. 

A new bridge project would minimize bottlenecks occurring in the southern square between the royal palace walls and the walls of the southern Al-Safa dome. 

It will double the space available for movement with the addition of an upper level to it linking with the first floor, giving flexibility needed for crowd management and separation of crowd movement in opposite directions. 

More than 1,500 toilets will also be constructed, bringing the total number of toilets to 6,000 in the area between Dar Al-Tawhid to the north and the former Ajyad hospital to the south of the area. 

This is in addition to the construction of 13,000 additional toilets in the northern squares, which will be partly commissioned during the current Haj season, he said.

 

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