MAKKAH – As many as 14,000 workers are racing against time round the clock to complete the third and final phase of the expansion of mataf (area for circumambulation around the Holy Kaaba) before the start of the annual pilgrimage of Haj, which is expected to begin on Sept. 21.
“Of these, 6,000 workers are engaged in tiling the upper floor of the mataf and 90 percent of the work has already been completed,” according to Sultan Al-Qurashi, director of projects management at the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.
He said the entire expanded mataf will be open to the pilgrims by the end of Dhul Qada (Sept. 13). He said the upper mataf, with a width of 40-50 meters, has a capacity to hold around 40,000 worshippers an hour, the Saudi Press Agency reported, quoting Al-Qurashi.
“The full capacity of the expanded mataf, with 107,000 pilgrims a hour, will be utilized this Haj,” he said.
Meanwhile, the presidency has opened the finished parts of the mataf project to the pilgrims. — SG/SPA
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