www.metimes.com Mecca is planning a major upgrade of facilities around the Al Masjid Al Haram, or "The Sacred Mosque", Islam's holiest site. On December 27 the "Studies on the Central Region of Mecca" seminar will be held in Mecca to discuss development plans for the city's central region. Interior minister and chairman of the supreme Hajj committee Prince Naif will open proceedings. The seminar will survey construction, engineering, transportation, environment and media issues. The seminar precedes the launch of several construction projects around the Grand Mosque, including the $3.2 billion Jabal Omar project. Organizing committee chairman Mohammed Idrees said that the government realized the need for fundamental changes in Mecca's facilities in order to accommodate the growing number of believers who perform Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages each year, estimated by Saudi authorities to exceed 10,000,000 annually.
"Making quick plans for such a large influx of pilgrims is essential in order to protect public interests. This demands setting out new construction strategies and comprehensive plans," Idrees said.
The proposed alterations are the second major round of reconstruction inside the city. During the 1970s the Bin Laden Group, headed by Osama Bin Laden's father Mohammed, was awarded a contract to expand both the Al Masjid Al Haram and the Prophet's mosque in Medina.
Economists said that new construction projects around the Al Masjid Al Haram would eventually generate investments of over $26 billion.
Major Up-Grade Planned For Mecca
www.metimes.com Mecca is planning a major upgrade of facilities around the Al Masjid Al Haram, or "The Sacred Mosque", Islam's holiest site. On December 27 the "Studies on the Central Region of Mecca" seminar will be held in Mecca to discuss development plans for the city's central region. Interior minister and chairman of the supreme Hajj committee Prince Naif will open proceedings. The seminar will survey construction, engineering, transportation, environment and media issues. The seminar precedes the launch of several construction projects around the Grand Mosque, including the $3.2 billion Jabal Omar project. Organizing committee chairman Mohammed Idrees said that the government realized the need for fundamental changes in Mecca's facilities in order to accommodate the growing number of believers who perform Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages each year, estimated by Saudi authorities to exceed 10,000,000 annually.
"Making quick plans for such a large influx of pilgrims is essential in order to protect public interests. This demands setting out new construction strategies and comprehensive plans," Idrees said.
The proposed alterations are the second major round of reconstruction inside the city. During the 1970s the Bin Laden Group, headed by Osama Bin Laden's father Mohammed, was awarded a contract to expand both the Al Masjid Al Haram and the Prophet's mosque in Medina.
Economists said that new construction projects around the Al Masjid Al Haram would eventually generate investments of over $26 billion.
|