Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — The design works of the umbrella project for the Grand Mosque courtyards have been completed, announced Maj. Gen. Muhammad Al-Ahmadi, Commander of Grand Mosque Security Forces during the Second Media Conference for Haj Security commanders held Monday in Makkah.

The area of an umbrella in the Prophet Mosque is 25*25 while in the Grand Mosque it is 53*53, which is double the area, he explained.

“These umbrellas are huge and there are no similar ones to them any place around the world. The first phase of the umbrella installation project will take place beginning of the next year and will cover all courtyards. The Grand Mosque roof will have umbrellas as well,” he said. The mataf expansion project, which was completed this year, will accommodate more pilgrims and provide them with more comfort and ease.

All security officers on the ground have small electronic devices to monitor the movement of crowds in, outside and around the Grand Mosque and even in all roads leading to the Grand Mosque.

Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Zahrani, head of command center, said the movement of pilgrims is monitored by thousands of surveillance cameras.

“All Makkah sites as well as the Holy Sites are monitored by 5,900 surveillance cameras that are linked with the Unified National Center and the Grand Mosque Operations Room. We have installed more advanced technology this year,” he said.

Drones

This year, drones will be used to take pictures of areas around the Grand Mosque, he said, noting that all plans have been put in place to ensure the smooth movement of pilgrims and vehicles to and from the Grand Mosque. Any suspicious movement will be captured by the drones and reported to the concerned officers to take immediate action.

Maj. Gen. Hameed Al-Jahdali, assistant commander of security of public facilities, said 9,500 officers have been dispatched to several locations in Makkah and the Holy Sites, adding that 6,000 of them will organize the movement of crowds at Al-Mashaer train stations in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah while 3,500 will be help traffic officers in their jobs.

He called upon all to follow the Ministry of Haj’s timeline for movement of pilgrims to and from the Holy Sites, warning that strict penalties will be imposed on anyone who does not comply with the timeline.

Maj. Gen. Muhammad Al-Shareef, assistant commander of Haj security forces, talked about the crowd management, saying that 15,000 officers and volunteer students will help organize the movement of pilgrims and prevent them from squatting in the Holy Sites.