Malegaon: Saudi King Abdullah - the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,  in a glittering ceremony August 19 launched the largest ever expansion of the Grand Mosque of Makkah costing a whopping SR80 billion. The expansion after completion will increase the mosque's capacity to more than 2.5 million worshippers. He dedicated the new expansion to the Islamic world, a media report said.

Abdul Mohsen Bin Humaid, director of projects, said the new project would be completed in a year and a half.

The new project, covering 400,000 sq. meters in the northwest and northeast of the mosque, is the project of the century, said Muhammad Al-Khozaim, vice president of the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques Affairs.

Al-Khozaim disclosed plans to expand the mataf (the circumambulation areas around the Holy Kaaba) and provide air-conditioning for all parts of the Grand Mosque, adding that the two schemes would be carried out shortly along with the new Haram expansion project, according to leading Saudi daily Arab News.

A documentary screened during the ceremony said the expansion’s main gate would be named after King Abdullah and will have two minarets, bringing the mosque’s total number of minarets to 11, the reports said.

The total area of the existing Haram Mosque is 356,000 sq. meters accommodating 770,000 worshippers while the new expansion covering an area of 456,000 sq. meters will accommodate 1.2 million faithful, the report said quoting its sources.

The new project will comprise three parts: construction of a new building; expansion and development of courtyards around the mosque, including walkways, tunnels and toilets; and development of service facilities for air-conditioning, electricity and drinking water.

A 1,200-meter tunnel will be constructed from the end of the expansion passing through Jabal Hindi while another tunnel with a length of 1,100 meters will be built under Jabal Madafie. An emergency 700-meter tunnel crossing the other two tunnels will be constructed from Jabal Al-Kaaba.

King Abdullah also inaugurated the Makkah Tower Clock, considered the largest in the world; the Makkah Time, the newly expanded masaa (the running course between Safa and Marwa); the King Abdul Aziz endowment towers; the Jamrat Bridge complex in Mina; and the Mashair Railway linking the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa as well as the sunshades around the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah by pressing buttons.

Before laying the foundation for the new expansion, King Abdullah inspected models of the expansion project as well as other development projects implemented in Makkah and other holy sites.

Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf announced during the launching ceremony that the new expansion project would cost SR80 billion, which would include the money required to pay compensation to owners of real estates appropriated for the project.

But the investment does not go unreturned.

Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar said the new projects would boost business in Makkah and help the holy city attract new investments worth SR100 billion.

"Every SR1 billion spent by the government would encourage the private sector to invest an additional SR5 billion. This way the public investment would have a multiple effect on the economy," the mayor said.

Nawaf Al-Jowharji, a member of Makkah Provincial Council, described the King Abdul Aziz endowment towers as one of the largest real estate projects in the Kingdom, adding that it would help accommodate about 50,000 pilgrims and visitors.

Economist Aabid Al-Abdali of Umm Al-Qura University said the spending of SR40 billion, which is given to owners of real estate properties appropriated for the expansion project, would trigger an unprecedented economic boom in the holy city.

He estimated Makkah's gross domestic product at SR123 billion. "The volume of spending on Makkah projects equals one third of the whole economy," he pointed out. He said the multiple effect of government spending in new projects would generate SR133 billion.

Maher Jamal, a member of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, spoke about the increasing flow of investment to Makkah, especially from Saudis. He estimated total investments in the ongoing development projects in Makkah at SR100 billion.






 

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Picture of the Day

An artist's impressions of the new expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah. The project is launched by Saudi King Abdullah - the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, August 19. Regarded as the largest ever expansion of the Grand Mosque of Makkah and costing a whopping SR80 billion, the project after completion will increase the mosque's capacity to more than 2.5 million worshippers. The King dedicated the new expansion to the Islamic world.